Francona confident Indians' Ramirez will turn corner
The Cleveland Indians are in the midst of a disappointing campaign, and no one has been more emblematic of those struggles than Jose Ramirez.
The 26-year-old infielder has been one of the worst hitters in the majors this year, authoring a dismal .196/.296/.297 slash line with four home runs and 11 doubles. The two-time All-Star's 57 wRC+ ranks fourth-worst in baseball among qualified hitters, behind Starlin Castro, Kevin Pillar, and Rougned Odor.
"Every time I think he's going to turn a corner, he doesn't," Cleveland manager Terry Francona told Zack Meisel of The Athletic. "I have so much belief in him that he will, it's just been hard for him. It's been a prolonged period and I know it's got to be wearing on him. But I feel so strongly that he will figure it out."
Entering this season, Ramirez had finished top-three in AL MVP voting in back-to-back seasons, leading all of baseball with 56 doubles in 2017. Following a remarkable breakout in 2016, the Indians signed Ramirez to a five-year, $26-million extension.
This offseason, Cleveland opted to avoid making any large acquisitions, and instead reportedly shopped aces Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. Now, Kluber is on the injured list along with Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger.
The Indians currently sit in second place, 9 1/2 games back of the Minnesota Twins, jeopardizing a three-year streak of winning the division.