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Tampa Bay Rays Designate Harold Ramírez For Assignment Amid Brutal Slump

Harold Ramírez was a .306 hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays over the last two seasons, but the veteran designated hitter was removed from the 40-man roster Friday thanks to his .189 batting average since May 10.
Sam Connon|
May 26, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Harold Ramirez (43) heads for third base in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field.
May 26, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Harold Ramirez (43) heads for third base in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field. | Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

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Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have designated outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramírez for assignment, the team announced Friday afternoon.

Ramírez was removed from the 40-man roster in order to make room for infielder Taylor Walls, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list.

In 48 appearances this season, Ramírez was batting .268 with one home run, 13 RBI, five stolen bases, a .589 OPS and a -0.2 WAR. The 29-year-old was batting .189 with one RBI and a .400 OPS since May 10, failing to record an extra-base hit in that stretch.

Ramírez now has seven days to either get traded or placed on waivers. Should he go unclaimed, Ramírez would not be able to reject an assignment to the minor leagues, since he is just shy of five years of MLB service time.

It shouldn't come to that for Ramírez, though, who was an important bat in the Rays' lineup over the past two seasons and is likely to be a coveted player on the waiver wire.

Tampa Bay acquired Ramírez in a trade with the Chicago Cubs in March 2022, only needing to part ways with veteran minor leaguer Esteban Quiroz to get the deal done.

Ramírez then hit .306 with a .780 OPS and 3.3 WAR between 2022 and 2023, appearing in 120 and 122 games, respectively. Per 162 games, he averaged 12 home runs, 29 doubles, 165 hits and 84 RBI, all while owning a 121 OPS+.

This past offseason, trade rumors started to swirl around Ramírez. The Rays may not have gotten any offers they liked at the time, but now they will have even less leverage in potential trade talks.

Ramírez lost his arbitration case against Tampa Bay in February, locking him in for a $3.8 million salary in 2024. Depending on where he goes next – as well how he gets there – Ramírez will be arbitration eligible again in 2025 before hitting free agency in 2026.

The Rays, meanwhile, are set to open a series with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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