Report: Guardians' Jose Ramirez to Have Hand Surgery; Played with Injury Since June

Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez will have surgery on his right hand in the coming weeks after playing through an injury for much of the season, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

Per that report, Ramirez could have opted for a midseason surgery but chose against doing so to avoid missing significant time.

Cleveland was one of the surprise teams of the regular season, winning the American League Central with a 92-70 record.

Ramirez was the driving force behind the Guardians' offensive success. The four-time All-Star hit .280/.355/.514 with almost as many extra-base hits (78) as (82) in 157 games.

Everything has been going right for Ramirez in 2022. He signed a seven-year contract extension with the club in April that keeps him in Cleveland through 2028. The $125 million deal is the richest in franchise history.

Ramirez sat out his first game of the season on June 18 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters the 30-year-old was dealing with thumb soreness that wasn't expected to be a serious issue.

One reason the Guardians emerged as a playoff team is that the players around Ramirez performed better than anticipated. Josh Naylor (.771 OPS), first-time All-Star Andres Gimenez (.837 OPS) and Steven Kwan (.373 OBP) added depth to the lineup.

The season ended against the New York Yankees this week. But a strong foundation is in place, led by Ramirez.