We need to prevent every MLB star from running through the bag until we can figure out what's going on. Just minutes after Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas was carted off the field at Fenway Park after stepping awkwardly on first base, Jose Ramirez was forced to exit the Cleveland Guardians' game against the Toronto Blue Jays on an eerily similar play.
Ramirez, like Casas, was trying to leg out an infield single after tapping a grounder in front of home plate. And like Casas, his final step into first proved treacherous: Ramirez was motionless on the ground for several seconds before eventually getting up and walking off the field while accompanied by a member of the team's training staff.
Thankfully, though, it seems like Ramirez has avoided the worst-case scenario: According to the Guardians, he's been diagnosed with a mild right ankle sprain.
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Guardians star Jose Ramirez suffers knee injury on awkward play at first base
Obviously that's not great, but it has to come as at least some relief based on how the play looked in real time. Any long-term absence would be a devastating blow for the Guardians, who have built their offense around Ramirez's talents for the better part of the last decade now. Ramirez has yet to get truly hot so far this season, but he still has five homers and seven steals over his first 30 games to go with a 115 OPS+.
All of those are among the best totals in Cleveland's lineup, one that is highly dependent on Ramirez to help score enough runs to support their typically solid pitching staff. If the Guardians want to keep pace with the red-hot Detroit Tigers atop the AL Central — they entered Friday 1.5 games back at 18-13 — they're going to need Ramirez back and at his best sooner rather than later. It seems like he'll be able to do just that, although an IL stint may still be necessary.