CLEVELAND -- The Indians haven’t had a lot to brag about offensively this season. The team has been no-hit three times, excluding a seven-inning no-hitter thrown against them in Tampa Bay. The quiet and inconsistent offense not only has played a huge role in why Cleveland is flirting with its first losing season since 2012, but it’s also why José Ramírez has flown under the radar.

Once again, Ramírez could find himself on a handful of American League MVP ballots, even if it’s been overshadowed by the team’s collective struggles. The All-Star third baseman bettered his 2021 résumé in the Indians’ 6-0 victory over the White Sox on Saturday at Progressive Field with a two-run homer, three RBIs and a stolen base to add to the back of his baseball card.

“It’s very impressive,” Indians infielder Andrés Giménez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “Everybody in here knows what he’s capable of doing, and it’s really good to play alongside him and see him do his thing.”

This is nothing new for Ramírez, who has found a way to serve as Cleveland’s heartbeat for the last handful of seasons. Aside from a slump toward the end of the 2018 season that crept into the beginning of ‘19, Ramírez has been as consistent as anyone in the Majors. Since the start of 2016 through Friday night’s contest, Ramírez ranked in the top 10 among Major Leaguers in four categories: fWAR (third, 32.6, trailing Mike Trout and Mookie Betts), stolen bases (seventh, 132), runs scored (tied for eighth, 519) and RBIs (10th, 489).

“Until you’re around people -- I mean, I’ve seen him from afar, competing against him,” Indians acting manager DeMarlo Hale said. “I started noticing things in Spring Training. The way he went about his routine, it was a daily work ethic, so to speak. Even when he wasn’t playing in a game that day. The good ones do that. He’s right up there with them -- one of the best in the game, and that’s what they do. They constantly work. It’s been real nice to see him work and the season he’s having.”

And Ramírez still has a chance to join even more elite company in the final week of the season.

His two-run blast in the first inning increased his homer total to 36 on the season -- three shy of his personal best. Ramírez also sits at 99 RBIs, 30 doubles and 26 stolen bases for the year. If he’s able to get four more homers, four more stolen bases and one more RBI in the final eight games of the season, he’d become just the eighth player since 1920 (when RBI became an official stat) to ever have at least 100 RBIs, 40 homers, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases in a single year, joining Ryan Braun (2012), Jeff Bagwell (1997, ‘99), Alex Rodriguez (‘98), Larry Walker (‘97), Ellis Burks (‘96) and Jose Canseco (‘88).

“When you talk about his home run power, stolen base threats, he probably knows where he’s at,” Hale said. “But I just like the way he goes about it. It’s really about winning games. You hear him in the dugout -- and he’s upset when he doesn’t come through sometimes. It’s a good goal to have, but as long as it’s in the context of helping your teammates and this organization to win, I think both can be accomplished.”

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All of the attention will go to Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when it comes to the AL MVP vote -- and rightfully so -- but Ramírez has found a way to keep his name remotely in the conversation with his bat and the fact that he entered Saturday with what would be a career-high nine Defensive Runs Saved. He’s finished in the top three of the AL MVP voting in three of the last four seasons, and although he likely won’t be a finalist in 2021, his name will certainly appear on a handful of ballots yet again.

“He's the best third baseman in the AL and probably the league,” said Indians starter Eli Morgan, who carried a no-hitter into the fifth. “Seeing how much fun he has with the game. The way he acts in the dugout. For him to be like that and go out and be that good of a player, it's fun and it's really cool to watch.”