Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez to miss eight weeks with thumb injury
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez will undergo surgery Friday after tearing a ligament in his thumb, shelving him for eight weeks and leaving the $215 million team with a significantly weakened left side of the infield.
Initially diagnosed as a jammed thumb, Ramirez's injury came in the finals of the World Baseball Classic, which he won as part of the Dominican Republic. Ramirez dove for a ground ball, and his right thumb caught in the grass and bent sideways.
Ramirez played third base for the D.R. instead of his customary shortstop, where he's expected to be replaced by Dee Gordon.
"I was actually hoping I was gonna play through it," Ramirez said. "Sometimes you've got to play with pain. But there's not any chance I can do that. So I've got to go through surgery. We're going to do it as soon as possible so I can be back as quick as I can."
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Ramirez walked around the Dodgers clubhouse with a black brace stabilizing his thumb. He'll fly to Los Angeles tonight, and the surgery is scheduled for Friday morning.
After joining the Dodgers via a trade last July, the 29-year-old Ramirez hit .271/.324/.450 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs in 64 games.
"This is the main thing: L.A. Dodgers," Ramirez said. "Even though I was playing in the WBC representing my country. It was an honor for me. But at the same time, I was thinking of this team. What they were doing in the spring to get to know each other, to stay together. And to get this news today is not easy. It's going to be tough. But what can we do? They're going to do the best they can."
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