BOSTON — Hanley Ramirez walked off the field Monday night in obvious pain.
Ramirez slammed into the wall along the left field line at Fenway Park while chasing a fly ball into the corner during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Red Sox outfielder appeared to hold his shoulder while exiting the game.
Ramirez ran hard after James Loney’s blooper and initially appeared to make the catch. The ball popped out of Ramirez’s glove as he crashed shoulder-first into the wall, enabling Loney to coast into second base with a double. The Red Sox challenged that Ramirez caught the ball, but the initial call was upheld.
The more important development, obviously, is Ramirez’s injury. He retrieved the baseball and flung it back toward the infield after the collision, but he did so while wincing in pain. Ramirez’s teammates, the Red Sox’s training staff and manager John Farrell immediately checked on the 31-year-old, after which he slowly walked off the field.
Ramirez signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Boston over the offseason. He entered Monday’s game leading the Red Sox with 10 homers and 22 RBIs.
UPDATE (8:15 p.m. ET): Ramirez left the game with a left shoulder sprain, according to the Red Sox.
