Los Angeles Dodgers Return Hanley Ramirez to DL
By Aaron Somers
Hanley Ramirez was forced out of Friday’s game and back onto the DL with a strained hamstring. (Image Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
Having already missed the bulk of the season to date, Hanley Ramirez is set to sit out even more time as the Los Angeles Dodgers were forced to place him back on the disabled list late Saturday. The 29 year old strained his hamstring during Friday night’s loss against the division rival San Francisco Giants. It’s unclear just how much more time he will miss.
Ramirez injured his thumb in early March, while playing in the World Baseball Classic, and would need to undergo surgery. Initial reports suggested that he could potentially miss up to two months, but his recovery progressed quicker than expected and he returned to the lineup on Monday. It was a boost the Dodgers organization needed, given the injury woes the roster has been tasked with overcoming all season long. Ramirez would get in just four games, going 5 for 11 with a home run, before hurting himself on Friday while running from first to third base in the sixth inning.
By all accounts Ramirez isn’t thrilled that another trip to the DL was deemed necessary by the organization. Manager Don Mattingly didn’t sound overly optimistic about how soon he’d return, however, in quotes passed along by the Associated Press (through ESPNLA):
"Awhile … I hope that puts it in the right category. You never really know when a guy’s ready or not because you can’t ever get to the intensity that you need to get to on the hamstring when you’re going to explode and ask for more of your body. It’s going to be awhile."
Dee Gordon was recalled from Triple-A to take Ramirez’s place on the active roster. He’s been hitting .314/.397/.431 on the year at Albuquerque through 117 PA. He’s also leading the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases, with 14. Gordon has batted .260/.299/.315 over parts of the past two seasons with the Dodgers, showing flashes of talent but failing to produce with consistency. He’ll likely share the at bats moving forward with Justin Sellers, who saw most of the playing time early on with Ramirez out of the lineup but struggled to a .194/.270/.254 line through 74 PA thus far.