CLEVELAND, Ohio — José Ramírez elected not to play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday because of injuries even though he was voted into the American League’s starting lineup for the fourth time.
When he returned home to the Dominican Republic for the break, he heard from fans and reporters that they were disappointed that he didn’t play in the All-Star Game.
Fans voted Ramírez as the AL’s starting third baseman, but he elected not to play because of various injuries, including a right ankle and heel injury, and bruised forearms from being hit by pitches.
Ramírez, pointing to where he’d been hit on his right and left forearms, said, “They didn’t know about this. I did this (not play) for the team.”
Toronto’s Kevin Gausman hit Ramírez on the right forearm with a 95-mph fastball on June 26. It knocked him out of the game and sidelined him the next day.
On July 11, he was hit in the left forearm by a 94-mph fastball from Mike Vasil in the 11th inning in the second game of a doubleheader.
Ramírez said he’s also been nursing a right ankle injury since he tumbled over first base against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 2.
Asked how he was feeling headed into the second half, Ramírez, a seven-time All-Star, said, “I feel good, but not great.”
New coach
The Guardians have promoted Junior Betances to be part of their big-league hitting team. Betances was the hitting coach at Triple-A Columbus, but the Guardians needed someone to replace Jason Esposito, who was recently named the new hitting coach at Vanderbilt University.
Betances, born in the Dominican Republic, is in his 28th season in the Cleveland organization as a player, coach or executive. He helped run Cleveland’s program in the Dominican Republic from 2006 through 2010.
New arm
Right-hander Nic Enright was added to the 26-man roster before Friday’s game against the A’s. He takes the place of right-hander Paul Sewald, who returned to the 15-day injured list over the break with a strained right shoulder.
This is Enright’s third tour with the Guards this year. He’s 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA (three earned runs in 14 1/3 innings) with 14 strikeouts and seven walks. The opposition is hitting .143 against him.
In or out
The Guardians went into Friday’s game staring at a 12-game deficit in the AL Central. They were also facing a 4 1/2-game deficit in the wild card race.
So, what are they going to do at the July 31 trade deadline? Will they buy, sell or try to thread the needle?
“It’s been an emotional two and a half weeks with the ups and downs of our season,” said GM Mike Chernoff. “I think we’re going to have to take it up to the last minute and see where we are.
“It’s our job to prepare on all sides of this and know every single opportunity we have to improve our team; or on the flip side, to take advantage of a moment if we are not in contention for a spot.
“So, I’m hopeful we can pull ourselves back into closer contention. I do think there are a lot of teams that are in the mix right now in the American League, but I think our team is good enough to contend.”
Chernoff added, “The question really just comes down to how we do over the next couple of weeks, and the assessment that we make as we head into the deadline.”
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