Harold

Ramirez

The Braves continue to stockpile outfield depth, anyone with a pulse and any modicum of success in the big leagues gets an opportunity on a minor league deal. Ramirez was released by the Nationals last week after posting a .638 OPS with one homer and 16 RBI in 25 games with the ballclub. He’ll report to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Ramírez went unclaimed on waivers after being removed from Washington’s 40-man roster earlier this week. The 29-year-old outfielder posted a serviceable .638 OPS with one homer, 16 RBI and one steal in 25 games for the Nationals. He might make sense somewhere on a contending roster as a bench bat, but there aren’t a ton of logical landing spots at this late stage of the year.

Ramirez is booted from both the 40-man and active roster to make room for infielder Andres Chapparo. The outfielder struggled for the overwhelming majority of the year in 2024, but a team could have interest in Ramirez on the waiver wire as a bench bat option against lefties.

The home run was Ramirez’s second of the season. He lived up to his reputation as a lefty-masher with a two-run shot off Nick Lodolo in the first inning. Ramirez is little more than a platoon option at this point of his career. He’s hitting .264 with a .603 OPS and 22 RBI on the season.

The Mets are throwing a left-handed pitcher, so this shouldn’t be a huge surprise, but it’s also Ramirez’s third straight start, including two against righties. The Mets have left-handed pitchers set to start each of the next three games, so Ramirez could have some short-term fantasy value as he looks to carve out a bigger role with his new team.

Trey Lipscomb was sent down. Ramírez figures to take over as Eddie Rosario’s platoon partner versus lefties. He could also outproduce Joey Meneses against righties, but the Nationals probably aren’t going to want to play him over Meneses at first base. In fact, they gave him just one start there in his seven games for Rochester. He played right field twice and DH’d four times while hitting .375/.516/.417 in 31 plate appearances.

It certainly didn’t take long for Ramírez to find a new opportunity after being released earlier this week by the Rays. However, it’s a bit surprising that he was forced to settle for a minor league deal. The 29-year-old corner outfielder boasts a solid .287/.325/.408 triple-slash line with 37 homers and 18 steals in 511 games in the majors since 2019. He’s batted .300 with 19 homers and 13 steals over the last three season for Tampa Bay and represents a solid depth addition for the rebuilding Nationals. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him in Washington very soon.

Ramírez went unclaimed on waivers with no club willing to pick up the remaining portion of his $3.8 million salary for this season and is now officially a free agent. The 29-year-old outfielder was jettisoned from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster last week after posting a lackluster .589 OPS with one homer and five steals through 48 contests. He shouldn’t have too much trouble latching on elsewhere.

Ramirez was DFA’d to make room for INF Taylor Walls, who is being activated from the injured list. He hit .268 with one home run and 13 RBI in 164 at-bats with Tampa Bay this year. The Rays have seven days to trade Ramirez or place him on waivers.

Ramirez has his first homer of the season with a two-run shot off Matt Moore in the eighth inning. The 29-year-old has gotten off to a bit of a slow start with a slash of .258/.258/.323, but he should continue to mash left-handers; something he’s done throughout his career.