Hanley Ramirez in action against the Toronto Blue Jays.
IN PHOTO: Apr 29, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez (13) hits a two run home run off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey (not pictured) during the third inning at Fenway Park. Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Outfielder Hanley Ramirez injured his shoulder attempting to take a catch in the Boston Red Sox’s 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. The team has called it a shoulder sprain and he has been listed as day to day.

Ramirez ran to his left and caught the ball off James Loney’s drive, but his pace was too much and he couldn’t stop as he bounced off the grandstand wall and dropped the ball as well. He then managed to return it weakly but was in obvious discomfort as he dropped to his knee holding his shoulder. Loney scored a double on the play, and trainer Rick Jameyson rushed onto the field, along with manager John Farrell, to assess Ramirez’s injury.

The Red Sox would be able to absorb his loss for a short period but a long term absence could derail their hopes for this season as they try to rally from last season’s finish at the bottom of the AL East. Ramirez was replaced by Allen Craig for the rest of the game.

Ramirez’s shoulder would be a real concern for the Red Sox as he has already had two surgeries on it previously. The first was for a torn labrum back in the 2007 offseason, but he made a successful return the following season, not missing any games and even making the All-Star team. He then had a second surgery in 2011 after dislocating his shoulder while trying to take a catch in a game against the Mets. Both surgeries occurred during his time with the Miami Marlins. He also missed over a 100 games the past two years with various other injuries.

The Red Sox seemingly ignored those injury issues with Ramirez as they signed him to a four year, $88 million contract last November. He has been good value for their investment so far this season, being one of their best players so far.

"He's day to day right now. We're hopeful over the next couple of days there's some improvement. There's no clear-cut DL at this point, so he's day to day. I think over the coming days we'll have a better read on how he can recover. We're hopeful that he won't miss significant time," manager Farrell said to ESPN after the game.

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