Jose Ramirez has gone through some struggles at the plate over the last week, and Cleveland Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt shares some of his observations.
Jose Ramirez has established himself as arguably the greatest player in the Cleveland Guardians franchise history and one of the top players of his generation. One of the main reasons for this is the 33-year-old's consistency in being elite every day.
However, just over a month into the 2026 regular season, Ramirez's numbers aren't where he or the Guardians are used to them being.
Ramirez owns a .212/.329/.401 slash line, and his .730 OPS is third on the Guardians among qualified hitters, trailing Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter.
Over the last two weeks alone, Ramirez's OPS has been at just .682, which is well below his standards.
Stephen Vogt talked about where Ramirez is currently at and what he's seen from his superstar so far this season.
“Yeah for [Jose], he's in a little bit of a funk," admitted Cleveland's skipper following Tuesday's loss.
Despite some underwhelming performances at the plate as of late, Vogt isn't worried about Ramirez whatsoever, saying, "Again, he's one swing away from getting out of it."
Apr 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates with manager Stephen Vogt (12) after a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesVogt is entirely correct. First, Ramirez's wRC+ of 103 may not be close to his career average, but he's still objectively an above-average hitter.
Ramirez has also been the victim of some bad luck to start the season. All of his expected stats remain strong; it's just about finally seeing some of that hard contact and quality at-bats pay off.
For example, Ramirez's xBA of .270 is in the 75th percentile, and his xSLG of .480 is in the 82nd percentile.
At some point, one would think these numbers would start to turn for Ramirez. That said, there are some things the hitter can do better to improve his production, too, and Vogt highlighted that as well.
"Just looks like, right now, he's maybe a little in between," explained Cleveland's skipper. "He's a little late on fastballs, a little out in front of off speed."
Looking at all of the numbers, stats, and everything in between, there's no reason for the Guardians to be worried about Ramirez and his production.
Do they need more from their star? Absolutely.
But with a mechanical adjustment or two, and a little luck going his way, it wouldn't be surprising to see Jose Ramirez back to being Jose Ramirez soon.
As Vogt added, "like we always say with [Jose], he's one swing away from getting back in."
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