The Cleveland Guardians have started a crucial offseason in which they are tasked with improving the offense so it can match up with their excellent pitching.
Many of their players are resting after a long season in MLB.
Others are already starting some light workouts ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Well, Jose Ramirez is back in uniform.
That’s right: he is playing for the Leones del Escogido in the Liga Dominicana de Beisbol (LIDOM), the Dominican Republic’s winter league.
“José Ramírez is making his LIDOM season debut tonight with @EscogidoBBClub. Escogido acquired Ramírez in a September trade with @TorosdelEste in exchange for one Vlad Guerrero Jr. Game is at 6:15 pm ET. You can watch live on MLB.TV with the Postseason Package,” MLB.com’s Nathalie Alonso tweeted.
José Ramírez is making his LIDOM season debut tonight with @EscogidoBBClub. Escogido acquired Ramírez in a September trade with @TorosdelEste in exchange for one Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Game is at 6:15 pm ET. You can watch live on https://t.co/6sCCXzx3S2 with the Postseason Package. https://t.co/Gne4ArlKnG
— Nathalie Alonso (@NathalieMLB) November 21, 2023
There are a couple of former major leaguers in that lineup, including former Guardians Franmil Reyes and Erik Gonzalez.
Ramirez already made his debut for Escogido and went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored on Tuesday night.
He has a history of playing winter ball and likes to showcase his talent in his native country, where he is considered a hero.
In five seasons in LIDOM, J-Ram is hitting .283/.348/.370 with three home runs and a .718 OPS.
Most of these seasons came before he became an established star with the Guardians, though.
Still, he found some time this offseason and decided to suit up with his new team.
He used to play for Toros del Este but as Alonso said in her tweet, he was traded straight up for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Dominican fans are in for a treat.
NEXT: Guardians Prospect Prepares For Pivotal Season
