Indians name Hanley Ramirez designated hitter

The Cleveland Indians have announced that Hanley Ramirez has made the team and will be the Tribe’s designated hitter in 2019.

The mystery of whether not Hanley Ramirez will make the Indians Opening Day roster has been solved. Ramirez has been named Cleveland’s designated hitter. Mandy Bell of MLB.com reported the news Wednesday.

Hanley Ramirez had a decent spring, slashing .239/.271/.435 with an OPS of .736 in 15 games. Ramirez also drove in eight runs with three doubles and two home runs. In fact a performance from last week may be why Ramirez made the club. Ramirez went 3-4 with two home runs and a double. This type of game is exactly what the Indians were looking for out of Ramirez when he was signed. It appears that Ramirez still has something left in the tank and could potentially be a key hitter in the Indians lineup.

The decision to keep Hanley Ramirez on the roster means multiple things. First off that he is the primary designated hitter. This allow Carlos Santana to stay in the field at first base, which he prefers. Additionally this means that Jake Bauers will see time in the outfield. When Bauers was initially acquired the thought was that time would be split at first and designated hitter with Santana. Now with Ramirez in the fold everyone’s roles become more defined. This puts more clarity on the state of the Indians roster and just what position and role each player will have in 2019.

As long as Hanley Ramirez is league average at the plate he will be a productive player for the Tribe. Cleveland does not need Ramirez to be a superstar. Cleveland just needs Ramirez to be a competent hitter. Of course if things do not work out Cleveland can part ways and search for another option at the designated hitter position.