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Baseball is officially back in full force, as minor-league signings are taking the country by storm. On Thursday afternoon, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted saying the Dodgers signed veteran RHP AJ Ramos.
Free-agent right-hander AJ Ramos in agreement with #Dodgers on minor-league deal, source tells The Athletic. Will be added to 60-man player pool.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 2, 2020
Ramos did not pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum two years ago. His last appearance was May 26, 2018.
Ramos has spent time with the Marlins and Mets during his seven-year career. His best season came in 2016, when he was an All-Star and had 40 saves for the Marlins. Through his first five seasons in Miami, Ramos was a very solid reliever. He owned a 2.66 ERA, 145 ERA+, 3.15 FIP and averaged 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
From 2015 through 2017 Ramos had 99 saves, near the top of the leaderboard among National League closers.
He struggled greatly in 2018, allowing 14 runs in 19 2⁄3 innings of work. Ramos allowed eight runs over his final 4 2⁄3 innings pitched. As mentioned, his final appearance was on May 26, as he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum.
The 33-year old is finally healthy after two years of recovery, and he could be a great addition to the Dodgers’ bullpen. He likely won’t begin the season with the team, but he’s a name to keep an eye on and somebody that can definitely make an impact later in the season.
Ramos tweeted out this video today:
Loading... #comebackszn pic.twitter.com/7PW7Rk8eE9
— Aj Ramos (@theajramos) July 2, 2020