How Worried Should The Guardians Be About Jose Ramirez’s Wrist?

Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez fractured his left hamate bone on June 13. Since then, his season has taken a turn for the worse.

He was placed on the injured list and didn’t return until July 22nd, roughly five weeks later. He underwent surgery and had to rest and then rehab, so the road back to MLB fields hasn’t been easy for him this summer.

Since returning from the injured list, Ramirez has been a shell of himself. He has hit a meager .208/.309/.208 with no extra-base hits and a horrible 46 wRC+. Yes, he has been brilliant from a plate discipline standpoint, as he has a 12.7 percent walk rate and a minuscule 3.6 percent strikeout rate since coming back, but he lost all his power.

How worried should the Guardians be? Is Ramirez’s wrist going to be an ongoing problem for the rest of the season?

Well, let’s clarify a few things first. Power outages in the weeks, or even months, after hamate bone surgery are quite common. It’s not surprising to see Ramirez struggling to hit for power, but the hope is that he returns to 100 percent eventually.

Now, the fact that he has been missing quite a few games adds to the level of concern. Ramirez wasn’t in the Guardians’ lineup on Saturday after being penciled in and playing on Thursday and Friday.

Saturday’s absence was deemed a day off, but J-Ram was also out of the lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday with inflammation in the surgically repaired wrist. This is starting to become a worrisome trend.

Tim Stebbins of MLB.com explained on Saturday that ‘the Guardians have continually said they’re going to be mindful of (Ramirez’s) workload-wise post-hamate surgery.’ Well, because he has been in the lineup in just two of the last five games, one can’t help but hit the panic button and pay close attention to the situation.

Just a day off for Ramírez. Guardians have continually said they're going to be mindful of him workload-wise post-hamate surgery. https://t.co/NkgSmrAmfN

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) August 8, 2026

Ramirez might be having a down season, with a 102 wRC+, a .234 batting average, 10 home runs, and 28 stolen bases, but he remains the heart and soul of Cleveland. If he is considerably far from 100 percent physically, the team is facing an uphill battle to be relevant in 2026.

Only time will tell if he will bounce back or if the wrist issue is too high a roadblock.