José Ramírez makes much-needed Guardians return (but it’s coming at a huge cost) 

Baseball can be a cruel game sometimes. 

On Tuesday night, Kahlil Watson clinched the Guardians win over the Twins by making a fantastic catch in the right field corner that set off a celebration at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontatio. 

Less than 24 hours later, he’s on his way to Columbus as the corresponding move for the Guardians activation of José Ramírez from the injured list prior to Wednesday's game. 

While Ramírez's return is a big win for the Guardians since he’s going to provide them with some much-needed power in their lineup, it’s a shame that it comes at the expense of Watson, who looked the part in his first taste of MLB action. 

José Ramírez return to the Guardians' lineup came at the cost of Khalil Watson

Ramírez hit the injured list on June 13 with a hamate bone fracture, and he's making his return without going on a rehab assignment, which always seemed to be the plan.

Although Ramírez's .239 batting average would be the second-lowest mark of his career, he's still found a way to make an impact thanks to 24 steals and a .418 slugging percentage. He's just five home runs away from reaching the 300/300 club.

Even if his struggles in getting on base continue, he's still the heartbeat of the Guardians' lineup. The Guardians are going to go as far as he takes them.

His return to the lineup in place of Watson means that Daniel Schneemann and David Fry could see more time in the outfield, while Gabriel Arias could see more time at first base.

Watson earned his first big league call-up less than a week after Martínez hit the injured list, and had a .239/.264/.341 slashline with one home run, 11 RBI and nine steals in 27 games. He’s also been worth 1 Out Above Average in the outfield despite being just two years into his time as a full-time outfielder. 

He seemed to find his footing over the past couple weeks (7-for-20 in last six games) and recorded a pinch-hit double on Tuesday prior to his game-ending catch. 

At the very least, Watson’s time with the Guardians showed that he’s not scared of the bright lights of the big leagues, which is a huge step in its own right. 

He’s likely still a year away from being an everyday option, but he showed that he deserves to be the next man up whenever the Guardians suffer another loss in their outfield.

Ramírez's return is coming at the same time that Angel Martínez is getting closer to making his return from the injured list as well.

Martínez hit the injured list with a foot fracture the same day as Ramírez, and he started his return quest last week when he started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus. 

That rehab assignment shifted to Double-A Akron yesterday due to Columbus hitting the road, and he went 2-for-4 for the RubberDucks with a two-run home run and a double while playing in center field. 

Martínez was in the midst of a breakout season prior to getting hurt, and he’s still tied for the team with 11 home runs despite not playing a big league game in more than a month. 

He’s still a free-swinger who has an on-base percentage under .300, but those shortcomings haven’t mattered as much this year thanks to his power. 

While the Guardians offense has mostly held its own without Martínez and Ramírez, it’s hard to overstate how much the Guardians need both of them. 

They got halfway there on Wednesday with Ramírez's activation.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow