Stephen Vogt Believes Guardians All-Star Is Returning To Form

To say that Cleveland Guardians infielder Jose Ramirez has struggled since returning from his injured list stint with a broken hamate bone would be an understatement. Typically one of the best third basemen in the league, the superstar has hit a mediocre .207/.338/.207 with no extra-base hits in 17 games since coming back to the lineup on July 22.

The lack of power is alarming. It’s not uncommon for players who undergo hamate bone surgery to experience a dip in home runs in the immediate aftermath of the procedure, because the muscles in and around the area tend to lose some strength, but it comes back in time. If there’s something the Guardians don’t have, however, it’s time.

They are, as of Thursday morning, fourth in the AL Central behind the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins, and the Detroit Tigers. They need to start winning games in bunches soon if they want to make the postseason, and to do that, they need the best version of Ramirez.

According to manager Stephen Vogt, however, the slugger is slowly getting there. He sees him every day, not just in games but also in batting practice, so he knows him a lot better than everybody else. If he says he’s closing in on a breakout, it’s worth listening to, at the very least.

“To me, he’s been looking better and better each day. He’s starting to swing a lot more aggressively. He’s hitting the ball hard,” Vogt said. “We go when Hosie goes. He’s our best hitter and he’s given us everything he has every day and we’re appreciative of it. We’re going to have his back and we’re going to make sure we take care of him to make sure we don’t do anything dumb. But I’m just thrilled that Hosie’s playing.”

On Wednesday, he went 0-for-2 with a run and two walks. He had two batted-ball events: one resulted in a 100 mph lineout, and the other in a 76.6 mph pop-out. He also hit a couple of groundouts over 100 mph on Tuesday, one at 102 mph and another one at 103.7 mph. He seems to be hitting the ball harder, as Vogt says, so it’s a matter of lifting the ball as he used to before the injury.

It will take some time, but it appears Ramirez is slowly making strides at the plate. If he can regain his top form in time, this team could be dangerous.