Jose Ramirez is getting back into a groove in his new spot in the Cleveland Guardians' lineup.
With how consistently good Jose Ramirez has been during his career, the Cleveland Guardians should always be cautious when making even the slightest of adjustments with the superstar.
But, through the first two months of the 2026 season, it looks like a change was needed.
By Ramirez’s incredibly high standards, he was off to a slow start at the plate. Even though this still meant he was an above-average hitter, J-Ram just didn’t look like the MVP candidate Cleveland’s gotten used to him being.
With that in mind, Stephen Vogt decided to make a change he’d been thinking about for a while: moving Ramirez up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup with Chase DeLauter hitting directly behind him at No. 3.
Ramirez actually started the 2025 season in the two-hole, but it wasn’t an experiment that lasted very long, with him moving back to hitting third by the beginning of May.
This time around, this new role for Ramirez on the Guardians looks like it’s here to stay, at least for a little while longer. Ramirez has looked rejuvenated hitting second, and the stats speak for themselves.
Cleveland Guardians designated hitter José Ramírez (11) bats against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, May 21, 2026.Since Ramirez started hitting second on May 13, he owns a .293/.388/.512 slash line, and has three multi-hit games over that stretch. Ramirez’s offensive numbers come out to a 152 wRC+.
That's much better than the .702 OPS that Ramirez had hitting third in Cleveland's lineup this season.
It's fair to ask, how much does moving up one spot really help a player? Well, in this case, it could have more to do with who's hitting around Ramirez as a reason for the uptick in production.
With Travis Bazzana making a strong first impression as Cleveland’s lead-off hitter, and DeLauter continuing to be a legitimate offensive threat, Ramirez has some of the best protection hitting between the two that he’s had in years.
Ironically, that protection is coming from two rookies.
Is Ramirez hitting second a permanent change? Time will be the answer to that question. Vogt even talked on Monday about how the team has used 50 different lineups so far this season, and is always crafting their lineup to beat the starter.
However, as long as Ramirez continues to have this success hitting second, there’s no reason to take him out of that spot anytime soon.
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