At last, our collective ordeal has reached its conclusion – Jose Ramirez is back in action for the Cleveland Guardians starting this evening.
Beat writers reported earlier today that Kahlil Watson is being sent down to Columbus to make room for Jose, who has been reinstated from the injured list. Watson’s initial stint featured several highlights—including a crucial stretch of hot hitting when the roster was desperate for offense, stellar defensive play, and a fierce competitive drive—though he finished with a 67 wRC+, a 35% chase rate, and a 17% miss rate. This experience demonstrates that he needs to refine his approach at the plate to force pitchers into the zone and capitalize on those opportunities to establish himself in the majors. Given that he is just 23, there is ample opportunity for him to progress and mature. Keeping Petey Halpin on the roster is a logical choice, partly due to his two-homer performance on Monday, but also because his slightly older age and lower developmental ceiling make him easier to utilize in a reserve role. Looking ahead, it will be fascinating to observe the corresponding roster decision when Angel Martinez is ready to return. While sending down David Fry or Kyle Manzardo seems like the logical choice, I am skeptical it will happen. Instead, I anticipate either Daniel Schneemann or Petey Halpin will be optioned to Columbus once Angel is cleared to return.
Shifting focus back to Jose—the Guardians somehow compiled a 15-15 record since June 14th, despite losing Jose, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martinez just the day before. Though things got shaky on multiple occasions, splitting their games evenly without their premier star and clubhouse anchor is quite an achievement, even if it felt like they could have grabbed a few more victories. Tonight, Jose slots right back into the second spot in the batting order and reclaims third base. This shifts Gabriel Arias to a reserve role, who filled in respectably despite a handful of incredibly baffling decisions both at the plate and on the basepaths. Jose rejoins the active roster sporting a 110 wRC+ for the year alongside a .354 xwOBA, marking his best expected output in three years. Prior to fracturing his hamate bone, he was also delivering stellar defense at the hot corner and had already racked up 24 stolen bases.
We probably should not expect Jose to perform at his absolute peak right away. Bouncing back from a hamate fracture and the subsequent surgical procedure typically saps a hitter’s power in a very visible way. Even so, Jose will instantly resume terrorizing opposing pitching staffs with his elite contact skills and constant aggression on the basepaths. What I craved most during his five-week absence was knowing our lineup featured a relentless competitor—a predator who detects the slightest vulnerability in the opposition, pounces on it instantly, and refuses to let up until he has done everything in his power to secure a victory.
The thought of Jose’s eventual retirement is something I prefer to avoid entirely. Watching him play brings me such immense joy. Yet, this recent five-week stretch served as a great prompt to cherish every single second we get with the pride of Bani, Shohei Ohtani’s favorite player, the fast-talking powerhouse, and our king of the pulled fly ball. Before we know it, he will be back to trash-talking teammate and foe alike while playing with maximum intensity, and no matter how long his tenure in Cleveland lasts, it will never feel like enough time.
For those keeping track of milestones, Jose is a long shot to break any major franchise records this year, but he can chip away at the gaps separating him from Jim Thome in homers (who leads Jose by 42), Tris Speaker in doubles (62 ahead), and perhaps make a small dent in Kenny Lofton’s stolen base lead (141 ahead). Additionally, he needs just 10 more round-trippers to keep alive his impressive run of eight consecutive full seasons with at least 20 home runs.
Every now and then, I have to reassure myself that it was real when Jose agreed to a contract extension this past spring, securing his place in Cleveland for the remainder of his playing days. He belongs to us, and nobody else, and I am incredibly excited to watch how he and this squad navigate the stretch run to deliver an unforgettable season finale for Cleveland supporters and purists of gritty, old-school baseball everywhere.
We missed you, Jose. Welcome home.
