KANSAS CITY -- The Guardians are hopeful they avoided a worst-case scenario after All-Star third baseman Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez suffered a right wrist sprain in Saturday¡¯s 4-3 loss to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Ram¨ªrez is out of the lineup on Sunday, but manager Stephen Vogt said he is day to day, and that an MRI on his wrist was negative. Vogt added that there is "nothing structurally wrong."
Ram¨ªrez suffered the injury on an awkward headfirst slide on a stolen-base attempt in the third inning on Saturday. He exited the game in the sixth inning, when Gabriel Arias took over at third base.
Ram¨ªrez drew a walk in the third inning and attempted to swipe second on an 0-1 offering from Royals starter Seth Lugo. Catcher Salvador Perez¡¯s throw beat Ram¨ªrez to the bag, and as he dove in, his right wrist got pinned under his chest.
After shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. tagged him out to end the inning, Ram¨ªrez briefly hung his head before sitting up, where he appeared in visible pain. During his final at-bat in the fifth inning, Ram¨ªrez¡¯s right hand awkwardly came off his bat as he fouled off Lugo¡¯s first offering.
Ram¨ªrez grounded out to second baseman Michael Massey on the next pitch. He informed the team he couldn¡¯t continue playing soon after.
¡°He felt it the innings after [the slide],¡± Vogt said. ¡°It was one of those things where he didn't feel like he was going to help us. That's credit to him for coming to tell us that. He's a pro.¡±
Ram¨ªrez declined to speak to reporters postgame, but he noted he was ¡°sore¡± through a team spokesperson.
¡°When we heard that [Arias] was replacing him at third, you can¡¯t help but feel discouraged,¡± said left fielder Steven Kwan, who homered in the fifth inning. ¡°It kind of takes the [wind out of the sails]. I think he¡¯s good. He just seems like a tough guy that¡¯s going to get through a lot of stuff. Just trying to be optimistic there.¡±
To Kwan¡¯s point, Ram¨ªrez has not gone on the injured list since Aug. 25, 2019 -- after he suffered a right hamate fracture. He underwent surgery and was expected to miss five to seven weeks. He returned one month later.
The Guardians also have good reason to be cautious, between Ram¨ªrez¡¯s importance as the lead catalyst and run producer in their lineup, and with where we¡¯re at on the calendar. With how early it is in the season, there¡¯s no good in playing through an injury and risk it persisting.
If Ram¨ªrez does need a few days, Arias and Daniel Schneemann are each capable of playing third base. Arias has made 44 career appearances there (37 starts), and Schneemann made 17 (12 starts) as a rookie last season.
The Guardians held a 3-2 lead after the sixth inning; starter Gavin Williams allowed two runs on four hits and one walk over five-plus innings in his season debut. He allowed a leadoff walk to Kyle Isbel and a single to Jonathan India in the sixth, which ended his day. Isbel scored after Williams exited on a Perez single off Cade Smith.
Williams said he ¡°didn¡¯t really have the fastball¡± like he did in Spring Training. That was a point of focus for him over the offseason, after his four-seamer was flat last year. But it did average 97.5 mph and max at 99.5 on Saturday.
¡°[The outing] is definitely encouraging, especially not having the stuff I wanted today,¡± Williams said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely encouraging, and it¡¯s going to be better throughout the whole year.¡±
The Royals scored twice in the seventh, when Paul Sewald was charged with two runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. He allowed a homer to Maikel Garcia to lead off the frame.
¡°He made one mistake,¡± Vogt said. ¡°He hung a slider, and Garcia didn't miss it. Paul's going to continue to pitch in big spots for us. We trust him, and it just didn't go his way today.¡±