Cleveland Indians: Jose Ramirez wants to return next week

Cleveland Indians fans received some exciting news during Wednesday night’s broadcast. A key player may be returning to the field sooner than expected.

The Cleveland Indians were trudging along on offense Wednesday night when Andre Knott dropped a bit of a bombshell.

The broadcast showed a clip of Jose Ramirez doing some infield drills. Knott went on to say that Ramirez wants to return to the field next week in Chicago. Oh my!

Ramirez has been out since August 24 and he is looking to return less than a month after his hamate bone fracture. At this point it will likely be about pain tolerance.

If Ramirez is able to swing a bat without permanent damage to his hand then there is no reason to try to stop him. My guess is that he is being driven insane watching Ryan Flaherty hold down third base.

Ramirez’s return would be huge if the Indians can at least go 3-1 between now and Sunday night. A win tonight ties the Indians with the Tampa Bay Rays for the second Wild Card spot and would have both teams two games behind the Oakland A’s for the first spot.

The Indians are then off Monday before beginning a three-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday. Knott said Ramirez wants to return in Chicago. I don’t imagine Terry Francona will try to stop him.

Ramirez is not going to come back and be the entire offense all by himself. But he will provide a huge boost and should help rally his team if he is playing and fighting through pain with every swing. My guess is that he would slide over to second with Mike Freeman and, sigh, Flaherty playing at third. On that note, free Yu Chang!

We will have to wait for an official word about Ramirez’s status. For now, we have hope.