BOSTON — Even now, after being placed on the 15-day disabled list at a time of year when the Boston Red Sox have room to spare on their expanded roster, Hanley Ramirez is absolutely positive he will play again this season.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “You’re going to see me at first base before the season is over.”
Neither interim manager Torey Lovullo nor new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is so sure. Ramirez hasn’t so much as swung a bat in 12 days because of inflammation in his right shoulder. And as curious as they are to see if the shortstop-turned-left-fielder-turned-first-baseman is able to make this position switch any more easily than his last, the Red Sox won’t put him on the field until he’s healthy, whenever that may be.
Regardless, bet your life savings on this: If Ramirez doesn’t play at least a few games at first base before the season finale Oct. 4 in Cleveland, he won’t be back with the Red Sox next year.
Book it.
Dombrowski won’t come right out and say it, of course. But he also won’t make the same mistake deposed general manager Ben Cherington did by committing to Ramirez at a new position without having seen him play there first.
Consider Dombrowski’s long-distance reaction last winter when he heard a few so-called experts on one of those hot stove shows rank Ramirez as the No. 1 left fielder in the American League.
“I remember at the time saying, ‘How can people make that statement since they don’t know if he can play left field or not?'” Dombrowski recounted after getting hired last month. “The one thing you have to be careful about – and I’ve had some experience with even good athletes – you just can’t assume that they can play a new position. I’ve seen it not work at times.”
There’s no use rehashing Ramirez’ blunders in left field other than to say, statistically and anecdotally, he was the majors’ worst defender at any position.
The problem now, of course, is he’s running out of time to prove he would be any better at first base. Lovullo is optimistic, but only because Ramirez is a natural infielder. And although Ramirez has been able to take grounders on nearly a daily basis and get lessons on the proper footwork around the bag, his shoulder problem has prevented him from getting intense instruction from infield coach Brian Butterfield – and the Red Sox from getting any real answers.
Above all else, Dombrowski wants to make sure Ramirez doesn’t aggravate the shoulder injury and lose what little trade value he seemingly has. The best course of action, then, was to place him on the DL retroactive to Aug. 27, which wouldn’t make him eligible to play until at least Sept. 11.
“If anything, it’s to kind of protect ourselves from one another,” Dombrowski said. “He can’t play. He’s not going to be ready within the 15 days. He can go out on the field and work a little bit with his glove and footwork, but we’re not going to do anything (too aggressive). That’s why the DL. There’s no temptation, there’s no anything.”
Ramirez is due $68.25 million over the next three seasons and has a $22 million vesting option for 2019. But if he can’t handle first base, count on Dombrowski exhausting every ounce of his creativity as a proven wheeler-dealer to move the 31-year-old slugger off the roster.
Maybe the Padres would take him in a deal for right-hander James Shields, who will have three years and $65 million left on his contract? Perhaps the Giants want out from under the $47.5 million they owe injury-plagued former ace Matt Cain through 2017? Surely, the Angels would rather dump right-hander Jered Weaver than pay him $20 million next year.
You get the idea.
There are many conceivable routes out of Boston for Ramirez, but only one if he wants to stay: Play first base with some semblance of competence.
And time isn’t on his side.
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