The Cleveland Guardians must still explore adding more offense ahead of the trade deadline, even with Jose Ramirez healthy.
The Cleveland Guardians' season was immediately put into limbo after Jose Ramirez fractured his hamate bone on June 13, along with Angel Martinez and Chase DeLauter also landing on the injured list.
Manager Stephen Vogt stressed that it wasn't up to one player but to the group to step up and fill the void left by the team's superstar. The only way to get through it was to set realistic expectations as a team.
The goal for the Guardians while Ramirez was on the injured list was clear: tread water and don't lose ground in the playoff or division race.
Now that Ramirez is healthy and has been activated off the injured list, it's safe to say Cleveland successfully did just that.
Over the last five weeks without Ramirez, the Guardians had a 15-15 record. On June 14, Cleveland was tied with the Chicago White Sox at the top of the American League Central and was in the exact same position ahead of Wednesday's slate of games.
"I couldn’t be more proud of them. The last five weeks could’ve been a lot different, and it wasn’t,” Vogt said ahead of Wednesday's contest.
“We kept our heads above water, use all the clichés you want, but we didn’t let the last five weeks determine the rest of our season and that’s really what I’m proud of.”
Apr 19, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Trevor Rogers (28) during the fifth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn ImagesEven though Ramirez is back in the lineup and the Guardians have survived his absence, that doesn't mean all is well or that Cleveland is right back in the driver's seat in the American League Central.
The Guardians managed to play .500 ball without Ramirez, but in many ways, the team's biggest need was still exposed over this stretch; Cleveland needs more offense.
Without J-Ram in the lineup over the last month, the Guardians managed to log a .237/.302/.388 slash line. Their team .691 OPS ranked 25th in MLB over that stretch, which included a single outlier game in which Cleveland hit seven home runs.
The Guardians must explore adding more offense to the lineup at the trade deadline, even with Ramirdz back in the fold.
Cleveland's offense wasn't necessarily elite before Ramirez got injured, and his return won't automatically change that either.
Ramirez is healthy, and that's great, but there are still moves to be made for the Guardians to be considered a clear playoff favorite.
