Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez has silenced any concerns after a big series against the New York Yankees.
“He's hit into some bad luck. I think if you look underneath the hood, there's lots of positive indicators.”
That’s what Cleveland Guardians’ President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, said on Sunday about Jose Ramirez’s start to the 2026 season. By Ramirez’s standards, he has been off to a slower start than usual, even though his stats weren’t objectively bad.
Apparently, all Ramirez needed to get back on track was a trip to the Big Apple to take on the New York Yankees. Through the first two games of Cleveland’s series against their American League rival, Ramirez is right back to where he and the team would expect him to be at this point in the season.
The Guardians have clinched a series victory over the Yankees thanks to wins in each of the first two games of the three-game set, in large part thanks to what Ramirez has done at the plate.
Through those two games, Cleveland’s superstar is 6-for-9, including three doubles and a home run. He’s been responsible for driving in three of the Guardians’ 14 runs so far in the series.
Jun 2, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits an RBI double during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesAs Antonetti alluded to, this breakthrough series shouldn’t come as a surprise at all; the underlying stats have remained strong all year long. For example, Ramirez’s xBA of .289 ranks in the 89th percentile, and his xSLG of 469 ranks in the 79th percentile compared to the rest of MLB.
Ramirez has been hitting the ball hard and swinging at the right pitches; he just hasn’t had luck go his way, until now.
Plus, there’s no better place for Ramirez to get back on track than Yankee Stadium, a park he’s historically hit well at throughout his career. Following Cleveland’s win on Wednesday evening, Ramirez now owns a .408/.480/.731 slash line in his 38 games at Yankee Stadium.
“This is this is the biggest stage in the big-leagues,” said manager Stephen Vogt of Yankee Stadium. “We all know that, here and LA. I mean, it doesn't even be better than this environment.”
After this two-game stretch, Ramirez’s season OPS is up to .784. Yes, still lower than what he would expect, but if there were any concerns about Ramirez’s overall stats before, they should all be put to rest now after watching what he did against the Yankees.
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