Heliot Ramos entered October with a chance to matter for the New York Yankees, but through the first four playoff games, he has been stuck on the margins.
With Aaron Judge sidelined and out for both the Wild Card series and the ALDS, Ramos looked like a player who could see a meaningful role. Instead, his only appearance came in Game 1 of the Wild Card series last Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox, when he started in left field. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, and a pinch hitter took over for his final at-bat.
The way the Yankees have handled him suggests a clear pattern. Ramos has effectively been used as a platoon option against left-handed pitching, which fits the way he has traditionally fared. In San Francisco, he hit lefties better than righties, and his lone start came against Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle.
Since then, New York has faced only right-handed starters, and Ramos has not gotten back into the lineup or picked up another plate appearance. That setup is expected to continue Wednesday, when the Yankees are scheduled to face Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Nick Martinez in a must-win game to keep their season alive.
Still, there may be room for the Yankees to rethink things. They have scored only two runs over the first two games of the series, and manager Aaron Boone could decide to look for a spark somewhere, even if Ramos has not typically handled right-handed pitching well.
The Yankees also had reason to expect more from Ramos after acquiring him in August. New York sent left-handed pitcher Henry Lalane and second baseman Kaeden Kent to San Francisco in the deal, hoping Ramos could help fill the void left by Judge. That is a nearly impossible standard, but his production has fallen well short of what the Yankees likely envisioned.
Since the trade, Ramos has hit .198/.309/.379 with four home runs and 12 runs batted in. Those numbers are not disastrous, but they are a long way from impact-level production.
He still has time to change the story, but the clock is moving fast. There is a real chance he does not start Wednesday, the Yankees get swept, and his first postseason trip ends with just three forgettable at-bats.
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