Baseball has a way of turning a tiny stretch into a strange story, and the Guardians are living that right now.
Jose Ramirez has spent most of the last decade as Cleveland’s standard-bearer. He’s been the club’s best player for the better part of 10 years, a regular in the AL MVP conversation, a Silver Slugger winner, and a future Hall of Fame candidate. In Cleveland, he’s more than a star - he’s an icon.
And yet the timing has been ugly. Since Ramirez came back from his hamate bone injury, the Guardians have not won a game. That’s a bizarre run, and one that’s tough to explain without forcing a narrative that probably isn’t there.
Ramirez himself hasn’t been the problem. He’s hitting .236/.335/.405, a line that’s solid even if it falls short of his usual standard. He has 10 home runs and 24 stolen bases, and he’s still giving Cleveland value on defense, on the bases, and in the clubhouse.
The underlying numbers tell the same story. His 106 wRC+ is well below his career 129 mark, but nothing he’s done since returning has directly caused this losing streak. The Guardians have simply been in a rough patch, including three games against the best team in the American League.
That’s why this five-game sample should be taken for what it is: five games. Hamate bone surgeries often sap a hitter’s power for a while, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ramirez needs a few more at-bats before he looks fully like himself again.
And when that happens, Cleveland could easily look different. Ramirez is still a dangerous hitter at 33, and there’s plenty of reason to think the Guardians will start winning more once he gets back into rhythm and closer to his best version.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Hold More Deadline Leverage Than Anyone Expected
The catching market around the deadline may have shifted in Clevelands favor, and not because of anything the Guardians did on the field. With one of the more obvious names at the position suddenly unavailable, clubs looking for help behind the plate may have to turn to the next tier of options, which puts a spotlight on Clevelands own pair of catchers. That is the kind of twist front offices notice quickly, especially when a team has multiple players who could fit different kinds of trade talks.
Bo Naylor and Cooper Ingle now sit in a more interesting spot than they did a few days ago. Naylor, who was sent to Triple-A in May, has put together a solid run there and still comes with years of control, while Ingle brings prospect appeal even as his long-term defensive home remains unsettled. For Cleveland, the question is no longer just whether either catcher has value, but whether a market thinned by one injury could push that value higher before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Reason To Worry About The Future
The Guardians are heading into the trade deadline with more than one roster question hanging over them, and the front office appears set to wait until the final stretch before making its biggest moves. Cleveland is reportedly looking to add a hitter, a familiar kind of deadline need for a club trying to keep its offense from stalling down the stretch, while the organization also has to keep one eye on the draft after a second-round pick announced he would not sign.
There was at least one brighter note around the franchise on the Hall of Fame side of things, where Paul Hoynes was honored with the Baseball Writers Career Excellence Award. Even so, the larger conversation around Cleveland is still about what comes next, and whether the team can turn a tense few days into help for a lineup that clearly needs it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Deadline Plans Just Took A Brutal Turn At The Plate
Spencer Steers injury in Cincinnati has already rippled beyond the Reds, because it changes the market for a right-handed bat the Guardians had been watching. With Steer headed to the injured list and expected to miss significant time, Clevelands deadline planning suddenly has to account for a thinner pool of available hitters, which is never where a contender wants to be this late in July.
So the Guardians are left sorting through the fallback options, and the names that keep coming up each carry a different kind of risk. Casey Schmitt offers versatility, Isaac Paredes brings a more defined offensive profile, and Jo Adell has the kind of power that can tempt a front office even when the rest of the package is less tidy. For Cleveland, the challenge now is finding a bat that fits both the lineup and the ballpark, and the Steer injury makes that search a lot messier than it was a day ago. [Read more 🡒]