Jose Ramirez Sets His Return From Surgery. The Guardians Get Their Star Back Sooner Than Expected.
Cleveland fans needed good news. They got some this week.
Jose Ramirez’s target return from surgery has been revealed. The Guardians’ All-Star third baseman is expected back in mid-August, about six weeks after his recent procedure. That timeline gives Cleveland a real shot at having him for the stretch run.
Ramirez was placed on the injured list in early June with a wrist issue that had been bothering him all season. The surgery cleaned up the wrist. Doctors told the team and Ramirez to plan for a slow rehab to make sure the swing returned to full form.
The Guardians have hung in without him. Cleveland is 38-34 and sitting two games back in the AL Central. That is the credit of an excellent pitching staff and the breakout of Steven Kwan as the offensive leader of the team. Without Ramirez, though, the lineup is thin.
Ramirez’s numbers tell the story. He was hitting .272 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI when he went down. He is the kind of player who carries a team through a month at a time. The Guardians do not have anyone else with that profile on the roster.
The mid-August target gives Cleveland about six weeks of Ramirez before the playoffs start. That is enough time to get his timing back and lock in the heart of the lineup for October. It is also the kind of timeline that lets the front office be aggressive at the deadline.
Guardians fans should be encouraged. A wrist surgery on a hitter is always a risk. The fact that the team is publicly committing to a date this specific means the procedure went exactly as planned. Internal markers from the medical staff are reportedly strong.
The trade deadline is August 3. The Guardians’ front office now knows what it is working with. They can be aggressive about adding a starting pitcher or another bat without worrying that Ramirez’s status is unclear. They have a date.
Cleveland is in a tricky spot for the deadline. They are not far enough out of first to sell. They are not close enough to a championship to bet the future. They will likely add at the margins, a reliever or a bench bat, and trust the core to make a run.
The AL Central is wide open. The Twins are decent. The Tigers are decent. The Royals have faded after their hot 2024. The White Sox are still rebuilding. Nobody in the division is running away with it. Cleveland with a healthy Ramirez has a real chance.
For Ramirez personally, the surgery and rehab is just the latest chapter in one of the most consistent careers in baseball. He has been a five-time All-Star. He has finished in the top six in MVP voting four times. He has been the heartbeat of the Guardians for a decade.
Getting him back at the right time would be a turning point. The Guardians’ rotation is excellent. Their bullpen is solid. Their lineup is functional with Ramirez and ugly without him. Mid-August matters.
Cleveland fans, mark the calendar. Jose is coming back. The race is on.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
