Red Sox: Hanley Ramirez making progress with shoulder soreness

Hanley Ramirez has had a “breakthrough” with the shoulder soreness issues that have kept him off the field for the Boston Red Sox this spring.

When will Hanley Ramirez take the field with his first base mitt? It appears we may be getting closer to seeing that happen.

Ramirez has yet to play first base this spring due to shoulder soreness that has relegated him to designated hitter duty. That’s going to be his primary role this season with David Ortiz now out of the picture, but the expectation is that he’ll still see some time in the field. With Opening Day just over two weeks away, we’re running out of time for Ramirez to get some reps at first base.

The good news is that the team doesn’t believe Ramirez’ shoulder to be a serious issue that will linger throughout the season. According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, manager John Farrell indicated that Ramirez is making progress toward being ready to take the field.

"“He had a very good day yesterday and again this morning with some of the manual patterns and resistance he’s going through with his arm,” Farrell said Saturday morning. “We feel like there’s been a little bit of a breakthrough here. We’re anticipating that throwing to continue to progress and ramp up. The goal, obviously, is still to get him games at first base while in camp, and we’re moving towards that.”"

Farrell is hopeful that Ramirez will see time at first during a spring training game, but they aren’t going to rush him. The shoulder only bothers him when he throws, so in the meantime he’s still able to participate in drills, take ground balls and practice his footwork around the bag. He won’t be completely unprepared if he’s unable to see game action before the regular season begins, although if that’s the case then fans will be holding their breaths as Ramirez attempts his first throw down to second base to initiate a double-play.

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With the addition of Gold Glove winner Mitch Moreland, the Red Sox won’t need to count on Ramirez to play first base very often. However, they would certainly prefer the flexibility of having him as an option. That would allow the team to sit Moreland against tough left-handed pitchers and open an opportunity to get lefty-masher Chris Young in the lineup.

Ramirez’ shoulder woes supposedly aren’t effecting him at the plate, but his .235 batting average through 34 at-bats this spring leaves room for skepticism. Farrell believes Ramirez’ struggles are due to opposing pitchers not giving him anything over the plate to hit. He feels good swinging the bat, which is what matters most during spring training.

Despite the disappointing batting average, there are some promising signs that Ramirez has shown from an offensive standpoint. He’s drawn five walks, tied for most of the team this spring. He’s also homered twice and driven in seven RBI, both of which trail only the team’s spring MVP, Travis Shaw.

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There’s little reason for concern about whether or not Ramirez will hit this season. His track record in limited time in his career as a DH suggests he’ll thrive in his new role. The Red Sox would still prefer he retain the versatility of being capable of fielding a position by the time the season rolls around, so the news of his “breakthrough” is an encouraging sign as we head into the final stretch of camp.