CHICAGO -- The level of popularity surrounding José Ramírez as one of Cleveland’s favorite sons is unmatched, save for maybe LeBron James, Bernie Kosar and Superman.
Yet here we are, two games into the ALDS, and outside of a couple of walks, Ramírez has been quiet for the Guardians, who will enter Game 3 on Wednesday at Rate Field with their backs against the wall, down 0-2 in this series against the White Sox.
Ramírez is hitless through two games. To be fair, he’s just one member of an entire Guardians offense that has been ice cold, combining to go 7-for-61 (.115) in the series, including eight hitless at-bats with runners in scoring position.
With all due respect to his teammates, however, Ramírez is different. The expectation is greatness for a potential future Hall of Famer like him. So when the production isn’t there, the criticism is magnified.
It has reached a point that the unwanted narrative has already started to form around Ramírez: Can he perform when it matters most in the playoffs?
To this point, Ramírez hasn’t necessarily been an October legend. Heading into the 2026 postseason, the 34-year-old third baseman was a career .240 hitter with a .692 OPS over his first 45 playoff games.
There have been some highlights. His game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 2022 AL Wild Card Series against the Rays comes to mind, as does his homer in Game 4 of the 2024 ALDS to spark a series-tying win over the Tigers. Other than that, Ramírez’s postseason résumé is rather barren, with no “signature moment” you can point to quite yet.
Considering his current health status, flipping that narrative is going to be a tall task for Ramírez. Those who have followed the Guardians closely this season know the story behind his lackluster 2026 campaign in which he hit just 12 homers with 53 RBIs while posting a .688 OPS -- by far his lowest mark since 2015 -- over 125 games.
Everything changed on June 13, when Ramírez fractured his left hamate bone against the Tigers. Expected to miss around six weeks, he returned in five weeks and one day. Of course, hamate injuries are often debilitating. Even when a player returns from such an issue, it usually takes a good amount of time for the power to return. Ramírez was no exception, hitting just two homers in his final 53 games of the season upon his return from the injured list.
“Those of us who have been around José for an extended amount of time, you know he wants to step up,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “You know he wants to help the team win. With the wrist this year, it’s just been a difficult run at it.”
Ramírez has acknowledged that the pain he feels in his left wrist is something he will have to deal with for the remainder of the year, with a full return of his power likely not coming until at least Spring Training. He’s clearly not playing at 100 percent right now. Heck, he might not even be 50 percent of who he truly is.
“It has been difficult,” Ramírez said in Spanish. “There are days when it might feel better, and others when it feels worse. But that is no excuse. The mentality is to go out and compete and try to win.”
In some ways, Ramírez’s toughness and desire to keep going while compromised almost adds to his legend. He makes no excuses, and that should be admired. But it won’t be much consolation for Guardians fans longing for the franchise’s first World Series title since 1948 if the season ends here and their superstar finishes with another quiet postseason.
Despite the injury and past playoff struggles, however, there is still an undeniable extra energy when Ramírez steps to the plate. Even in the first two games of this series at Progressive Field, the energy was there as fans sparked up the “Jo-sé, Jo-sé, Jo-sé, Jo-sé!” chants. That feeling that maybe this is the moment he finally breaks through.
“José’s somebody you never count out,” Vogt said. “You know he’s giving you everything he has. I don’t know if ‘searching’ is the right word. … He wants to step up. He’s not 100 percent and hasn’t been since June, but he’s giving us everything he has, and we all know José’s one swing of the bat away from getting it going.”
If Ramírez is going to produce that big swing anywhere, it might just be in Chicago. His 23 career homers at Rate Field as a visitor are the most by any active player in MLB and second most all-time, trailing only another likely future Hall of Famer in Miguel Cabrera (26).
A seven-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger, Ramírez is Cleveland’s icon. Come Wednesday, he’ll get another chance to create that elusive iconic playoff moment.
If that does happen, the Guardians certainly won’t be surprised.
“José is José,” Vogt said. “He has not wavered from who he is. He's still our leader and our best player, and I have a feeling he's going to come through for us.”