The Los Angeles Dodgers got shortstop Hanley Ramirez back from the disabled list on Sunday while the Rockies, Athletics and Red Sox had some of their stars put on the DL. Michael Cuddyer, Sean Doolittle and Xander Bogaerts are certain to miss some time.
Ramirez suffered a right oblique strain back on August 5 against the Milwaukee Brewers and was out of the lineup until yesterday's game against the New York Mets. Ramirez, in recent years, has had trouble staying on the field, but he's been fairly lucky this year. He played in only 86 games last year and just 92 in 2011. This year he's missed 31 games because of injuries, but has already played in 101.
Manager Don Mattingly said it was good to have Ramirez back in the lineup, especially since the Dodgers' bats have been inconsistent as of late. The 30-year-old shortstop is batting .274 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs and 12 stolen bases this season. Los Angeles tabled contract talks with the veteran recently and he's set to become a free agent after the year ends.
Also in the NL West division, the Colorado Rockies placed outfielder Michael Cuddyer on the disabled list Sunday for the third time this season. Last year's NL batting champion missed over two months because of a fractured shoulder and will visit the DL for the second time due to a strained left hamstring. Cuddyer has only played in 34 games this season, but has pretty solid numbers: .331 batting average with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 11 walks.
A couple of American League teams are dealing with injuries to big names. The Oakland Athletics placed closer Sean Doolittle on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right intercostal. Doolittle picked up two saves during the weekend series against division-rival Los Angeles Angels and boasts a 2.28 ERA with 20 saves and 80 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings pitched this season. The A's are expected to use reliever Eric O'Flaherty as their close while Doolittle misses 15 days of action.
Similarly, the Boston Red Sox will be missing a couple of players for a little bit. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list on Sunday and he'll be eligible to return on Saturday. The 21-year-old was hit in the head by a pitch on Friday and hasn't played since. Also, designated hitter David Ortiz was forced to leave Sunday's game due to a right foot contusion after fouling a pitch off of his foot. X-rays were negative and Ortiz is day-to-day, but the bad news continues to mount for Boston, who just got swept by the Seattle Mariners and remain in last place in the AL East.
