Guardians star 3B José Ramírez breaks bone in hand during win over Tigers, All-Star out indefinitely

CLEVELAND (AP) — A nice win for the Guardians over a division rival quickly turned into a devastating loss.

Cleveland star third baseman José Ramírez broke a bone in his left hand on a swing Saturday and will be sidelined for an indefinite period, a massive blow to the two-time defending AL Central champions.

Ramírez sustained a fractured left hamate bone leading off the fifth inning in the Guardians' 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. The team didn't update the condition of the 33-year-old until after the game, when manager Stephen Vogt confirmed the break.

Vogt said Ramírez underwent imaging tests that revealed the fracture.

“He had a similar injury I think to his right hand a few years ago,” Vogt said. "He tried to go back out. He knew the position we were in, grabbed his glove and said ‘Maybe I can still play defense,’ but he couldn’t squeeze his glove. Hosey wanted to get back out there to help us win that game. He just couldn’t.”

A seven-time All-Star, Ramírez is the face of Cleveland's franchise and the Guardians' most indispensable player. Losing him for any time is crippling.

Surgery will likely take place in the next few days, and the Guardians, who moved back into first place, will then have to do their best to survive without their best player. They have options at third base, but none of them is close to being in Ramírez's class.

Ramírez, who is a switch-hitter, suffered a fracture to his right hamate bone in 2019 — the only time he has been on the injured list in his career — but was only out a month following surgery after being expected to miss as much as seven weeks.

He's been struggling at the plate so this season, and entered Saturday's game batting just .238 with 10 homers and 33 RBIs. Ramírez, who has finished in the Top 4 in MVP voting five times, is a career .274 hitter. He holds virtually every major team record.

Ramírez wasn't the only injury Saturday as the Guardians lost outfielders Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez in the first two innings.

DeLauter suffered a bruised right rib cage colliding with the outfield wall Martinez sustained a bruise when he fouled a ball off his foot.

When Ramírez left the game, the Guardians were without the top three hitters in their batting order. Vogt was forced to reshuffle his lineup and put Rhys Hoskins, who began the game at first base, in left field. Hoskins had not played there since 2018, when he was with Philadelphia.

It's not known if DeLauter and Martinez will join Ramírez on the injured list.

“We’re working through the logistics and what the next steps are so we’ll know more tomorrow or the next day," Vogt said. "These things can get complicated.”

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, who has spent the season navigating through a litany of injuries, empathized with Cleveland's situation.

“It was one after another for those guys,” Hinch said. "If there’s any team that understands having injuries at a weird time, it’s us. I didn’t see anything with Ramírez to have him come out of the game, so when Stephen (Vogt) was on the field I had no idea what it was about and they were moving their players all around.

"Obviously health is a premium. Sounds like they’ve got a lot to sort out over there.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez watches his home run sail into center field during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez walks to the dugout after being called out on strikes in the first inning of a baseball game againts the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez, left, runs home to score a run on an RBI single by Chase DeLauter during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez walks to the dugout after lining out to short in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez rounds first base after hitting a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

CHICAGO (AP) — Looks like Shohei Ohtani is doing much better.

Ohtani hit a leadoff homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday in his return to the starting lineup after being sidelined by inflammation in his left knee. He also walked three times and scored twice in a 7-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

“I felt good waking up in the morning, I feel good now, so I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to stay healthy and should be good to go tomorrow as well,” Ohtani said through a translator.

The two-way star connected on a 1-0 fastball from White Sox right-hander Sean Burke for his 14th homer. The 409-foot drive to right in the first inning had an exit velocity of 109.6 mph.

It was Ohtani's fifth leadoff homer of the season and No. 29 for his career.

“Obviously he’s the best player in the world, so anytime you can get the best player in a world back in your lineup, he’s definitely going to help and he showed it immediately,” teammate Mookie Betts said.

The 31-year-old Ohtani was back at designated hitter after he rested during Friday’s 8-2 loss in the series opener at Chicago. The knee inflammation popped up Thursday night at Pittsburgh, prompting Ohtani to leave an 8-6 win over the Pirates in the seventh.

“We took him out of the game the other night just for precautionary,” manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday's win. “Yesterday, treated it up, today he feels great. All the confidence that he can go out there and hit, feel good, not regress at all.”

Ohtani, who had surgery on his left knee in September 2019, wasn't sure exactly what caused the inflammation.

“It’s actually hard to pinpoint at what moment this happened,” he said. “All I can really know for sure is that I think my mechanics wasn’t quite great in terms of my pitching side. So I believe that had something to do with this.”

Ohtani is scheduled to take the mound again on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-4 right-hander tested his knee for his throwing motion by playing catch in the outfield before Saturday's victory.

“It wasn’t 100 percent today, but I, you know, with the next three, four days, I feel pretty confident with enough recovery that I should be able to make the next start,” he said.

Ohtani is batting .305 with 41 RBIs and 50 runs scored in 68 games for the NL West leaders. On the mound, the reigning NL MVP is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts.

Roberts also said Justin Wrobleski is expected to make his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Rays. The left-hander left in the fifth inning on Thursday night because of a left hamstring contusion.

“Yesterday I talked to him and he is a little sore, which is understandable, but he’ll be ready to go on Tuesday,” Roberts said.

Roberts, 54, is going to miss Sunday's series finale against the White Sox. Bench coach Danny Lehmann will run the team while Roberts attends his daughter's college graduation.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, gestures after he hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani, from Japan, warms up before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani, from Japan, touches his knee before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani, from Japan, warms up before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani, from Japan, during warmups before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)