CLEVELAND (AP) \u2014 The Guardians managed without Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez. They\u2019d rather not have to do that again.<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez 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\u2019s depth and resolve.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last five weeks could have been a lot different, and it wasn\u2019t,\u201d manager Stephen Vogt said. \u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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\u2019ve got a lot of work left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez had been sidelined since getting hurt against Detroit<\/a> on June 13 and having an operation to remove the hamate bone in his left hand.<\/p>\n The Guardians stayed afloat without Ram\u00edrez, going 15-15 and keeping pace with the division leaders. <\/p>\n In his first game back, Ram\u00edrez went 2 for 5 with an RBI and scored, but the Guardians were beaten 10-6 by the Twins<\/a>. Not surprisingly, he made an immediate impact.<\/p>\n After receiving a warm ovation from Guardians fans, Ram\u00edrez singled in his first at-bat, hustled into second on a flyout and scored Cleveland\u2019s first run on a bloop single.<\/p>\n \u201cShows you what we missed,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cGets a base hit, tags up right in the left fielder\u2019s face, produces a run. I mean, just his presence. We felt like a lift up for the whole group today. Just so good to have him back.\u201d<\/p>\n Twins manager Derek Shelton was equally impressed.<\/p>\n \u201cHe totally changes the dynamic of the lineup,\u201d Shelton said. \u201cYou\u2019re talking about a guy they\u2019re going to build a statue next to (Larry) Doby and (Bob) Feller for. I was hoping it would be at the end of our series. You\u2019ve got to give him credit. It\u2019s five weeks from a hamate with no rehab and he\u2019s back in major league games. That shows you what kind of player he is.\u201d<\/p>\n Ram\u00edrez 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\u2019s been on the injured list.<\/p>\n \u201cHosey\u2019s about winning,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cHe\u2019s not going to come back if he doesn\u2019t believe that he can help us win. So it\u2019s full trust in him, full trust in the medical staff. Everybody is on board with him being back in there today.\u201d<\/p>\n Vogt said he would hold Ram\u00edrez back a little at the start.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be some limitations for him at first, but we\u2019re going to be thoughtful about how much he plays, when he plays, things of that nature,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cBut he\u2019s done a great job of getting his body ready, which is most important and the wrist is feeling good.\u201d<\/p>\n To make room for Ram\u00edrez, the Guardians optioned outfielder Kahlil Watson to Triple-A Columbus.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old Ram\u00edrez, who has numerous offensive club records, was batting .239 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 72 games before getting hurt. The Guardians aren\u2019t the same without him in the lineup, and his mere presence should help a team that has struggled to score.<\/p>\n