Manny Ramirez Struggling At Triple-A, Not Ready For Promotion to Oakland A’s Roster

At 40 years old, Manny Ramirezseems more like the aging superstar that he truly is than the once feared hitter he

had previously become.  Ramirez ranks 14th all-time with 555 home runs in his career, but he has yet to hit one with the Oakland A’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.  Ramirez has played 11 games and made 40 plate appearances so far for the River Cats, but he is hitting just .243/.300/.243.  His slugging percentage matches his batting average which means one thing; he’s hit nothing but singles.

Sports Illustrated is reporting that scouts and executives of the Oakland A’s have been far from impressed with what they’ve seen from Manny Ramirez.  The consensus seems to be that he is not ready for a promotion to the Major League club.

“Scouts and baseball executives who have seen Ramirez recently agree with Oakland’s assessment that he is not ready for the majors. In addition, Ramirez has been bothered by left hamstring tightness,” said Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Manny Ramirez was signed by the A’s with the understanding that he had been out of baseball for a year, had to finish serving his 50-game PED suspension, and would be 40 years old if and when the team called him up.  They took a relatively low gamble with the contract they gave Ramirez, but as of yet it’s not clear that Ramirez will actually be able to make an impact with the club.

Oakland is currently 24-31 and eight games back of the Texas Rangers, but they need more than a .243 singles hitter to help them dig out of their hole.  Ramirez will need to heat up before the A’s consider a call-up, and he will have to show that his hamstring can hold up to the rigors of everyday play.  Manny Ramirez is a 12-time All-Star in his Major League career, but right now he’s just a minor leaguer looking for another shot.  He may or may not get that shot depending on how well he performs this month.