What It Means:

Boston needed to make room on the roster with Dustin Pedroia returning from the DL, but it's a surprising move considering Ramirez was batting second or third for the Red Sox all season. That said, Ramirez was slumping badly in May, and the Red Sox will avoid a $22 million option for 2019 that would have kicked in if he reached 497 plate appearances. Mitch Moreland will presumably take over as the primary first baseman.

For the season, Ramirez is batting .254/.313/.395 with 25 runs, 6 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases over 195 plate appearances.