Veteran right-hander AJ Ramos, who’s in camp with the Angels as a non-roster invitee, has been diagnosed with a torn capsule in his right shoulder and will likely be out for the entire 2022 season, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com).
It’s a disheartening setback for the clearly talented but oft-injured Ramos, who has managed just 27 innings total over the past four seasons — due primarily to troubles in that same shoulder. Ramos hit the injured list around Memorial Day 2018 while pitching for the Mets, and just three weeks later it was announced that he was headed for surgery to repair a torn labrum. The right-hander went more than two years between big league appearances while rehabbing that injury, and he’s only made it back to the mound for sparse looks with the Rockies (2020) and Angels (2021) in that time.
Now 35 years old, Ramos was an All-Star with the Marlins back in 2016 and, for a few years, was one of the more effective relievers in the National League. From 2013-16, he tallied 278 1/3 innings of 2.62 ERA ball while racking up 72 saves and punching out 27.4% of the opponents he faced. Walks were an issue even at that point (12.6%), but Ramos’ ability to miss bats and limit hard contact helped him to offset that penchant for free passes.
Back in 2020, Ramos told reporters: “[Earlier in my career], I was motivated to show everybody that I was good enough. Now, I’m motivated just to play — to have the max amount of fun doing it.”
There should be no doubt that Ramos, who has a 3.04 earned run average, 99 saves, 46 holds and a 27.2% strikeout rate in 373 1/3 career innings, is “good enough,” to use his own words. The question at this point is simply one of whether he’ll embark on yet another comeback attempt next year in what would be his age-36 season.
Ouch, sounds incredibly painful. Shoulder capsule tear isn’t that common as a baseball injury.
It’s relatively common: Johan Santana, Chris Young, Rich Harden, Dallas Braden and Julio Urias all have had anterior capsule tears that have led to surgery.
Just because you can name 5 guys 4 of which are long retired doesn’t mean it’s common
It is sort of common. It’s incredibly difficult to recover from 100
Career-ender.
Probably, but $20+ million in lifetime earnings suggests it was a lucrative career.
If he has to retire at 35 after making 20 million,. not a bad life.
Hate to see it. Hope this isn’t the end. Have always rooted for AJ since his days with the fish
It is Most Definitely the end– Ramos is 34! And this shoulder keeps getting injured. It’s sad, but it is what it is.
Also been at least 4 years before he’s had any actual value. Was in steep decline even before the injuries set it.
Yikes. Not good at all.
Body might be telling you that it’s time for the next chapter….
Can he pitch though?
Most likely wants that 100th save!
Would be cool to get.
Tough break.
A lot of miles on AJ’s’ arm
Sad. But it is time to think about the future
This year, he likely would not have made the team
Tough luck for him though.
The season is going to begin in 9 days, typically for the Angels, you’d would expect the news to be about Thor and not Ramos?
Maybe their luck is changing.
Steroid use will do that to a body
You would know
What are you insinuating?
That sucks. I was hoping he’d make a comeback.
get well sooner!
So it begins…
Sorry for him. Thankfully I don’t think he was going to be relied upon to get us over the hump.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to have the skills to make it to the big leagues & the opportunity to finally make it, only to have my body give out at that level. That’s got to be soul-crushing, even if he did make $20M doing it. Especially when he came back through those other arduous recoveries to redevelop his skills & hit another injury obstacle. Tough.
Feel bad for this guy. However, he was more “thrower” than pitcher. Pretty rough injury.
Wasn’t he famous for a great spin rate?
And the hits keep coming for the Angels pitching staff.