CLEVELAND (AP) — The Guardians managed without José Ramírez. They'd rather not have to do that again.
Ramírez was activated from the injury list on Wednesday after the seven-time All-Star third baseman missed five weeks following left hand surgery. Cleveland stayed near the top of the AL Central while he was out, a testament to the young club's depth and resolve.
It wasn't easy.
“The last five weeks could have been a lot different, and it wasn’t,” manager Stephen Vogt said. "We kept our heads above water. You can use all the cliches you want, but we did not let the last five weeks determine the rest of our season.
“We had some low points. We had some high points, some in between. But really proud of what this group did over the last five weeks and we’ve got a lot of work left.”
Ramírez had been sidelined since getting hurt against Detroit on June 13 and having an operation to remove the hamate bone in his left hand.
The Guardians managed to stay afloat without Ramírez, going 15-15 and keeping pace with the division leaders. Cleveland entered Wednesday's game against Minnesota in a virtual tie for first place with the Chicago White Sox.
Ramírez is in the starting lineup, batting second and playing third in Wednesday's game.
Ramírez did not go on a minor league rehab assignment before being activated. The Guardians trusted him throughout his recovery. He had a similar injury to his right hand in 2019, the only other time he’s been on the injured list.
“Hosey's about winning,” Vogt said. “He’s not going to come back if he doesn’t believe that he can help us win. So it’s full trust in him, full trust in the medical staff. Everybody is on board with him being back in there today.”
Vogt said he would hold Ramírez back a little at the start.
“There’s going to be some limitations for him at first, but we’re going to be thoughtful about how much he plays, when he plays, things of that nature,” Vogt said. “But he’s done a great job of getting his body ready, which is most important and the wrist is feeling good.”
To make room for Ramírez, the Guardians optioned outfielder Kahlil Watson to Triple-A Columbus.
The 33-year-old Ramírez, who owns numerous offensive club records, was batting .239 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 72 games before getting hurt. The Guardians aren't the same without him in the lineup, and his mere presence should help a team that has struggled to score.
Watson played well in his stint with Guardians, batting .239 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 27 games. On Tuesday night, he made a game-ending leaping catch down the right-field line while crashing into the padded wall.
Vogt said Watson's contributions made his demotion a difficult decision.
“Khalil handled it like a true pro,” Vogt said. "He understood clearly. Not happy. No one wants to leave, but just the messaging was you came here when we needed you and you helped us. We saw an unbelievably talented player with Khalil Watson.
“He’s going to help us win a ton of games for a long time. It’s just not his time right now.”
Along with Ramírez, the Guardians could soon have outfielder Angel Martinez back as well. He's been out since June 13 with a non-displaced fracture when he fouled a pitch off his left foot. Martinez is on a rehab assignment at Columbus and appears on the brink of being activated.
Vogt said Martinez will play nine innings on Wednesday and be re-evaluated.
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FILE - Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez stands on deck during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Marcus L. Martin felt instant trepidation Sunday when he saw five adults wading thigh- and waist-deep in the Scioto River. A frequent boater on the Ohio waterway, the Baptist pastor knew the area where they were standing to be treacherous. He believes the people he captured in a photo to be the ill-fated group that drowned that day.
“I just remember being taught that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes” and a quick drop-off into the river, he told The Associated Press. A few years earlier, Martin had warned a pair of young people playing in the water at that same spot to “be very careful.”
He saw five adults in the water and two children playing on the grassy bank nearby, tracking the description of the group provided by Delaware County authorities after the drownings.
Martin and his family floated away to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. But when they returned past the spot about two hours later and saw the group still wading in the river, Martin thought to snap a photo.
“I don't know what it was. I said, I just need to capture this picture,” he said.
Martin said he knows the area well from 10 years of boating there and considered warning the people of the potential danger. But, unlike when he'd warned the two people earlier, there were two or three boats between him and them and he didn't want to cross between them and cause too many waves in the water.
He's been losing sleep over the decision since news broke of five people drowning that afternoon. It feels “surreal,” he said.
“I believe the picture I took may have been the last picture of them being alive,” he said.
Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has said authorities believe one of the adults began struggling to swim and the others successively went to that person's aid. All five were swept under and died. The two women’s bodies were recovered Sunday and the three other bodies a day later.
Neither Balzer's office nor the local EMS agency immediately responded to requests for verification of the photo and those who appear in it.
Martin said he feels certain the group he photographed is of the five people who perished Sunday; it's rare to see people fishing or swimming in that stretch of the river. He said he attempted to share the picture with both law enforcement and a news reporter at the scene the day after the drownings, but no one seemed interested.
Honduran authorities confirmed Tuesday that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens. One was Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, another his wife Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28. Pineda was from the department of Lempira and Suyapa from the department of Cortés, according to Flabia Zamora, director of consular affairs at the Honduran Foreign Ministry.
The names of the other couple and the fifth individual would be released once their families could be notified of their deaths, a spokesperson for Balzer said Wednesday.
A Honduran embassy said the government is in contact with the victims' families and assisting local authorities in verifying their identities. In a statement, it added that Honduras stands ready to repatriate any of the victims should relatives request that — a process that could take six weeks.
An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, children of one of the couples, were orphaned by the tragedy. A boy shouting for his mother was spotted by a passing driver on the day of the accident and reported to 911.
Scott Varner, a spokesman for Franklin County Children Services, said the youngsters have been in the agency's care since Monday and that they are working with relatives and family friends in Columbus who are providing them with a temporary home. The children were provided with therapy dogs as they coped with the trauma, he said.
The Honduran embassy statement said the consulate has checked in with family members about their well-being and stands ready to help once relatives make a decision on next steps for the children.
The Scioto River is seen near Hayden Falls Reserve on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
Signs are posted inside the Riverside Dr Scioto Fishing Area on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Powell, Ohio. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
In this photo provided by Pastor Marcus L. Martin, a group of people he believes were those who died in a recent drowning accident, are shown fishing along the Scioto river in Powell, Ohio, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Pastor Marcus L. Martin via AP)
In this photo provided by Pastor Marcus L. Martin, a group of people he believes were those who died in a recent drowning accident, are shown fishing along the Scioto river in Powell, Ohio, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Pastor Marcus L. Martin via AP)
