SAN DIEGO -- Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez's right wrist appears just fine.
He showed up at Petco Park on Monday, went through his training and told Guardians manager Stephen Vogt that he was ¡°ready to go¡± ahead of the team¡¯s series opener against the Padres -- an eventual 7-2 loss at Petco Park -- two days after he sustained a sprain on a steal attempt.
¡°We trust him,¡± Vogt told reporters pregame. ¡°Jos¨¦'s done this for a very long time. He knows his body. He¡¯s the only one who knows exactly how his wrist is feeling. ¡
"You have to put the trust into a player like Jos¨¦ that knows his body and knows how long this season's going to be, and he wouldn't put himself -- or us -- in jeopardy.¡±
That trust paid off immediately.
Ram¨ªrez sent the sixth pitch he saw -- a 92.2 mph sinker from left-hander Kyle Hart, just inside the heart of the plate -- over the left-field fence for his first home run of the season in his first game back.
Ram¨ªrez followed that up with a double in the third inning. And then he followed that up with a single in the sixth. And though Ram¨ªrez ended up a triple shy of the cycle, he still reminded everyone just how dominant he is when he¡¯s in the lineup.
¡°He¡¯s the best player in the world,¡± catcher Austin Hedges said. ¡°He fuels us. He's our catalyst. So, no one's surprised that even with a bum wrist -- or whatever he's got going on -- that he goes out and almost hits for the cycle.¡±
For as much praise as Ram¨ªrez deservedly gets for his bat -- he¡¯s a five-time Silver Slugger winner -- he also got to flash an even more underrated part of his game: His glove.
In the bottom of the first, Manny Machado drilled a would-be single toward the shortstop hole, but Ramirez slid over, gloved the ball, did a 360-degree spin and fired it right into the waiting glove of first baseman Carlos Santana for the third out.
¡°He¡¯s a superstar. He¡¯s our guy,¡± Hedges said. ¡°Anytime he¡¯s in the lineup, he can win the game by himself.¡±
It might have been just too tall of an order for Ram¨ªrez to try and win this one by himself, but he for sure tried to. Just his presence alone brings calm to Steven Kwan, who hits ahead of Ram¨ªrez in the lineup.
"It's awesome. You just have that safety net behind you,¡± Kwan said. ¡°On those instances where you're on first base, you feel like you're in scoring position already. You don't have to do too much. He puts up such professional at-bats.¡±
It¡¯s not the first time Ram¨ªrez has made a statement in a return game. In 2019, he missed a month due to a fracture in his right hamate bone that required surgery. In his first at-bat coming off the injured list on Sept. 24, Ram¨ªrez crushed a grand slam.
While Monday didn¡¯t bring the same late-season dramatics of that swing from six seasons ago, it serves just as much of a reminder that this is what Ram¨ªrez does. This is his team. This is where he thrives.
That¡¯s part of the reason why Vogt has so much trust in him to take Ram¨ªrez at his word when he says he¡¯s feeling good enough to play.
¡°It's everything,¡± Vogt said. ¡°I trust our players to go out and play and be themselves. Particularly with Jos¨¦, Carlos, Hedgie -- the guys that have been around a long time. You put full trust into what they're saying.¡±
This is a team that might look different than the one that made it to the ALCS a season ago. The Guardians traded Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez to Toronto and Josh Naylor to Arizona, but they still have Kwan. They still have Jhonkensy Noel. And perhaps most importantly, they still have Ram¨ªrez.
¡°These are good guys,¡± Vogt said. ¡°And this is a really talented team that we have. Unfortunately, didn't go our way tonight.¡±