Jose Ramirez's Postseason Struggles Becoming a Frustrating Trend

Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez is once again struggling in postseason play in what is becoming a concerning trend.

Sep 25, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) bats during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jose Ramirez and the Cleveland Guardians are on the verge of having an October to forget.

Game 3 of the ALDS takes place Wednesday afternoon in what will be an absolutely raucous atmosphere on the South Side of Chicago. White Sox fans have been waiting 120 years to clinch a playoff series at home and can do so with a win Wednesday or Thursday.

Ramirez and the Guardians obviously want to prevent such a celebration, but the first two games of the series have not given fans much confidence this Guardians group can do so. The team scored zero runs in Game 1, followed up with three runs in Game 2. Ramirez did come around to score in Game 2, but is without a hit in both games.

He is the key piece of the offense that must get going. Unfortunately, his postseason struggles are becoming a trend.

Judging Jose Ramirez's postseason numbers

There is an important note to make about his performance this October. Ramirez had hand surgery over the summer and is clearly not at 100% swinging the bat. However, he must be judged for his performance if he is in the lineup.

Ramirez is currently 0-for-6 this postseason with two walks. He went 2-for-8 last postseason as the Guardians fell in three games to the Detroit Tigers. 2024 was not much better, as the Cleveland star finished 7-for-35 in 10 games as his team lost to the New York Yankees in the ALCS.

#Guardians are now 11-24 in their last 35 playoff games since being up 3-1 to the #Cubs in the 2016 World Series

— Jim Berdysz (@BirdmanCLE) October 6, 2026

2022 was the last time Ramirez had notable success in the postseason, but his performance still did not reach superstar levels. He went 10-for-30 in seven games with four RBI and seven strikeouts.

Baseball is a team sport and everyone in the lineup needs to step up at some point if a team is going to win a World Series title. The problem with Ramirez struggling is he hits second in the order. If he is almost an automatic out, it destroys any chance of a rally at the top of the order. It also has the ability to suck the life out of the home crowd if every "Jose" chant ends in disappointment.

The only thing that is going to help Ramirez recover is an offseason full of rest. Winning the division did give him a week off, though that seemed to hurt the team in general as hits have been hard to find.

Another rough game and/or another early postseason exit won't tarnish Ramirez's legacy in Cleveland. It will, however, raise questions of whether the team is able to compete for a World Series with him as its best player.