Stephen Vogt Makes Changes to José Ramírez's Spot in Guardians Lineup

Looking for a spark, the Cleveland Guardians have moved José Ramírez up in the lineup.

On Wednesday, May 13, the Guardians coaching staff decided to shift things around, hoping to get Ramírez back on track. Instead of being in his usual three-spot, the 33-year-old has shifted up to the second spot, backing up Angel Martinez, who is leading off.

Such a move comes following a rocky start to the 2026 campaign for the multi-time All-Star. Through 44 games and 162 at-bats, Ramírez is batting just .210 with an OPS nearly dropping below .700.

"Just looking at it, it was kind of like, well, let's attack them [the Angels] with two of our better right-handed hitters right out of the chute," Vogt said about the lineup construction. "And I've been thinking about looking at Jose in the two-hole, chasing the three-hole for a little while anyway. So I felt today might be the day to try it out, especially with trying to get Hosie's third right-handed at-bat, and so we're going for it."

The team is also giving Steven Kwan the day off, hoping that two extra days of rest will give him a chance to reset his mental game. Recently, he said that it has begun to feel like he is down in the count, 0-2, before he even steps foot at the plate.

"Kwan is getting an off day today," Vogt said. "I wanted to get him two days with today and the off day, like we did a couple weeks ago in Toronto."

Like Ramírez, he is also trying to get his previous form back.

Over the course of 155 at-bats, Kwan's bat has seen just 32 knocks in the leadoff spot. That's good enough for a .206 batting average. He is still drawing walks at a solid rate, taking on 22 to 21 strikeouts, but he hasn't looked like himself at all.

"I mean, when you're an everyday player like that, anytime you get an off day, it's a good day for you to turn off, get your feet up, and to get two days in a row can be really beneficial," said Vogt about Kwan's rest. "But I think we've seen some really good signs from Kwan during this 13-game stretch. A couple of games where he's gotten a couple hits, a couple walks over the weekend. Yesterday, I thought his first hit at-bat, that was vintage Kwany. Getting him split down the way and hit to left center. Kwany's working and continuing to play great defense.

"Again, Kwany's one of our best players. We go when he goes. It's going to be really good."

The Guardians know that both Ramírez and Kwan have the talent to return to normal; they've seen it in seasons past. However, they have to make changes because if not, they'll keep getting the same product, which just simply isn't cutting it.

In the coming weeks, it'll be interesting to see if the Guardians continue to trot out Kwan in the leadoff spot, or decide to move him around, and whether Ramírez will stay in the two spot with Chase DeLauter following him third.

The first look at the new lineup construction comes on Wednesday in a series finale against the Los Angeles Angels from Progressive Field.

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