Cleveland Guardians

Indians' Ramírez expected to return after breaking hand

Published Sep. 22, 2019 6:05 p.m. ET

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians expect third baseman José Ramírez to return to their lineup Tuesday night after missing a month with a broken right hand.

Ramírez hasn't played since Aug. 24 when he was injured taking a swing. The two-time All-Star had surgery two days for a broken hamate bone. The Indians expected him to miss five to seven weeks.

Manager Terry Francona said Sunday that Ramírez hasn't experienced any soreness in the hand after taking batting practice in recent days. Ramírez is hitting .254 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 126 games.

The Indians are a half-game behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. Cleveland hosted Philadelphia on Sunday night.

The Indians are off Monday. They end the season on the road starting Tuesday with three games against the Chicago White Sox and three in Washington.