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The Dodgers will be without Hanley Ramirez for roughly eight weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. But thanks to a new provision this year, the World Baseball Classic - not the Dodgers - could be on the hook for the nearly $4 million Ramirez is set to earn while on the shelf, per reports by Buster Olney of ESPN and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Ramirez injured his thumb diving for a ball on Tuesday in the WBC final in San Francisco. An MRI revealed a torn ligament, and he had surgery in Los Angeles Friday to repair the tear. Olney sent this tweet on Sunday night:
For those asking: Yes, Hanley Ramirez salary being paid by WBC while he's on the DL. Every nickel.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 24, 2013
Ramirez is due $15.5 million in 2013, and missing exactly eight weeks after surgery gives him a return date of May 16. Since the 183-day championship season begins on March 31, Ramirez would be on the disabled list in this scenario for 46 days. That means the WBC would be responsible for approximately $3,896,175 of Ramirez's salary.
Rosenthal explains the provision.
WBC insurance covers salaries of injured players, source says. In general, player must miss at least 30 days for coverage to kick in.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 25, 2013
Once player misses 30 days, salary for missed time covered in full. Also, he can be covered if injured during WBC, then suffers re-injury.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 25, 2013
Rosenthal noted that the provision is different from the 2006 and 2009 Classics, and that it further protects teams from taking on the risk of sending their players to the WBC.
So while losing Ramirez obviously isn't ideal for the Dodgers, and I'm sure they would gladly pay $4 million or more to have him fully healthy right now, they do get some form of compensation for losing their shortstop and number five hitter.