Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez underwent hamate surgery in the middle of the regular season. He struggled at the plate after returning, and his slump has continued into the MLB playoffs. Cleveland's third baseman has yet to record a hit in the American League Division Series. It has gotten to the point where the Guardians may need to consider moving Ramirez down in the lineup. While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Ramirez refused to use the lingering concern of his hamate injury as an excuse for his struggles, per Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland.

“It is hard to put together into one day what specifically is triggering the pain… But to me, that's secondary,” Ramirez said via interpreter. “For me, it's always the mindset trying to find a way how to win, and that's not going to get in the way of me trying to do the best I can.”

It is uncertain how much of an impact the injury has had on Ramirez. One has to imagine it is impacting him, as he's looked like a different player this year. Ramirez entered the season as one of the best players in all of MLB. Now, the seven-time All-Star is struggling to generate offense on a consistent basis.

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Still, this is Joe Ramirez we are talking about. It would not be surprising to see him get back on track sooner rather than later as Cleveland looks to rebound in the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are currently up in the series 2-0.