Hanley Ramirez removed from line-up as ball from batting cage screen dents his nose - MLB
Third-baseman Hanley Ramirez is unable to play the series opener and sits out due to a dent he received on his nose during batting practice at Tropicana Field.
Donovan Solano replaced Ramirez in the match.
Before a decision of removal, Miami Marlins' manager Ozzie Guillen had planned to play Ramirez at number two position in the line-up, a deviation from his customary role, in order to provide more at-bats to their power-hitting outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.
“I want to give Stanton more at-bats with people on base,” Guillen said. “I want to give him more opportunities to hit in the first inning. … At least for a little while to see how it works.”
As per initial reports, injury is not of serious nature and Ramirez will be playing soon. It has also emerged that he may be playing in the second game of the series.
Ramirez as a hitter holds extreme significance to the Marlins’ offence. Unfortunately, he has not performed up to his potential so far. Along with rest of the hitters, he also took a nosedive and failed to step up during crucial stages of the game in the
season.
Before start of the 2012 regular season, it was feared that he will find it difficult to adjust to the third-base dynamics and will be prone to making errors, while his hitting credentials were undoubted.
Actually, with the inclusion of Jose Reyes in the line-up, Ramirez had to sacrifice his customary shortstop position on the park and had to learn right from the start about playing at third-base.
As it panned out during the season, Ramirez made splendid plays at third-base and gave no sign of his being a new to the role. In contrast, his batting, on which not many questions were being raised, downgraded.
Despite the fact his composure on plate dwindled, Guillen held faith in him and kept giving chances. Rewarding the confidence on some occasions, he stood out and struck homers, while remaining ordinary by-and-large.
In light of this, once Ramirez returns from the injury, he will have a point to prove.
He will be making sure that he actually is doing what he is supposed to be for the Marlins' offence. Only by being consistent, he can vindicate his existence in the line-up.
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