Indians' Jose Ramirez Placed on IL After Hand Injury Diagnosed as Fractured Bone

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez is headed to the injured list with a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, according to ESPN.

Ramirez left Saturday's game in the first inning after fouling off a pitch.

The 26-year-old has had good luck with injuries throughout the past few years, playing at least 152 games in every season from 2016-18.

He was carted off the field in spring training after fouling a ball off his leg in spring training, although he fortunately avoided a major injury as he was diagnosed with just a contusion.

Staying on the field has also allowed him to take his game to an elite level.

After serving as a versatile role player in his first few seasons in the majors, Ramirez turned himself into an All-Star who has finished in the top three in MVP voting in each of the past two years. He finished 2018 with career highs in home runs (39), RBI (105), stolen bases (34) and on-base percentage (.387).

He has been up-and-down this season, though, currently hitting .254 with 20 homers and 75 RBI.

Unfortunately, the latest injury could be a setback and keep one of the Indians best hitters out of their lineup. Mike Freeman could see some extra playing time in the infield until Ramirez is back to full strength. Cleveand also called up infielder Yu Chang from Triple-A to take Ramirez's roster spot.