Hanley Ramirez has already been out since August 26 with a sore right shoulder and now the Red Sox have decided to shut him down for the remainder of the regular season.
The Red Sox held out hope that Ramirez would be able to return and get a head start on his transition to first base. However, Red Sox acting manager Torey Lovullo told Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com this afternoon that his shoulder just isn’t responding. The team has understandably given up on him as a viable left fielder moving forward, so they still envision him as their first baseman in 2016.
Ramirez, who signed a four-year, $88 million contract with the Red Sox last winter, finishes off a disappointing season with a .249/.291/.426 batting line to go along with 19 home runs and 53 RBI over 105 games. The 31-year-old had 10 home runs and 22 RBI in April, but he struggled to maintain that production the rest of the way. He didn’t hit a home run in the second half.