Jose Ramirez has spent years carrying the baggage of October criticism, but that story looks a lot different now after his latest burst in the AL Division Series.
Before this season, the Cleveland Guardians star had built a postseason résumé that left plenty of room for doubt. In 190 plate appearances entering the 2026 playoffs, he was hitting just .234 with an 80 wRC+. For a player of his caliber, that was enough for the familiar questions to keep following him around every October.
Those questions only got louder when he opened this ALDS with shaky performances in Games 1 and 2. Even with the clear signs that he has been playing through pain in his surgically repaired wrist, the noise didn’t let up.
Then came Chicago.
Ramirez changed the tone of the series at Rate Field, where he took over Games 3 and 4 before returning to Progressive Field and delivering the biggest swing of all in Game 5: a game-winning two-run homer in a 2-0 victory. Over his last three games, he has put together a scorching postseason line of .278/.409/.778 with a double, a triple, two homers, six runs, seven RBI, and a 1.187 OPS in five games.
That kind of turnaround is exactly why analyst Ken Carman says the conversation around Ramirez needs to change.
“Are we done ripping on José Ramírez in the postseason yet? Is that all dead, or are we going to do this again this series?
I’m serious. Because he came through in wild fashion, not just in Game 5, he came through as the series went on.
Can we stop with that? I will still defend him if he had more veterans, more boppers around him.
I think he’d get better pitches to hit, but he’s making the most out of the pitches he does get to hit. You won 2-0.
He accounted for the runs. Are we done with the Jose Ramirez criticism?”
Carman said.
That surge has moved Ramirez’s career postseason line to .238 with a 93 wRC+. The jump from an 80 wRC+ to 93 in the span of five games tells the whole story of how quickly October can reshape perception.
If Ramirez keeps rolling in the League Championship Series, he has a real shot at pushing that number to 100. The task, though, gets tougher from here. The Rays’ pitching staff is a much stronger group than the White Sox’s.
Still, Ramirez has never seemed bothered by difficult assignments.
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Guardians Face One ALCS Roster Choice That Could Shape This Series
With a seven-game battle against the Rays looming, Stephen Vogt is weighing one of those postseason roster calls that can quietly shape everything that follows. The Guardians are looking at whether to keep a deeper bench of position players or trim back toward a more traditional split between pitchers and hitters, a decision made more complicated by the grind of a long series and the need to cover every inning carefully.
Daniel Schneemanns spot is part of the conversation as the club searches for more right-handed punch, while the pitching side brings its own option if Cleveland wants another arm that can bridge multiple innings. Vogt does not have the luxury of treating this as a marginal choice, either, because the roster balance can affect late-game matchups, pinch-hit flexibility and how aggressively the Guardians can manage their bullpen over the next week. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Enter ALCS With One Huge Pitching Question
The American League Championship Series opens tomorrow in Tampa, and the matchup between the Rays and Guardians brings together two clubs built on pitching depth. Tampa Bay already has its Game 1 plan in place with Drew Rasmussen set to take the ball, while Cleveland is still sorting through its options after a five-game Division Series against the White Sox.
For the Guardians, the biggest decision is still hanging over the start of the series, and it could shape how they line up the rest of the rotation. Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Foster Griffin, Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee are all in the mix as Cleveland works through its choice, a reminder that even at this stage of October, the margin for error starts with the first pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Made One ALCS Roster Choice Fans Will Be Watching
With the American League Championship Series now set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland adjusted its roster in a way that says plenty about how it sees this matchup unfolding. The Guardians brought in pitcher Slade Cecconi and left utilityman Daniel Schneeman off the ALCS group, a move that tilts the bench a little more toward arms as the series shifts into a deeper October grind.
Cecconi spent most of the season in the rotation, making 21 starts, but has recently been working in a relief role and figures to give Cleveland another option out of the bullpen if this turns into a longer battle. Schneeman had already been absent from the ALDS games, and his omission here underscores how much roster flexibility matters once the games become compressed and every spot has to serve a very specific purpose. [Read more 🡒]