Dodgers: Get to know recent signing AJ Ramos

The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed AJ Ramos to a minor league contract.

In 2016, AJ Ramos was an All-Star closer for the Miami Marlins; last year, he was out of baseball due to ongoing shoulder issues. On Friday, news broke that the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed the 33-year-old right-hander to a minor league contract. He will be included on the 60-man player pool that will be eligible to play this season.

Just last week, Ramos tweeted a video of himself pitching and included his velocity and spin rate numbers superimposed on the film. “Back at it again #comebackzn,” was the accompanying text on the post.

"“I know that I have a lot left in me,” Ramos told KAMC News in Lubbock, Texas in June. “This is what I love to do. It’s like I have a new motivation. Before, I was motivated to show everybody that I was good enough. Now, I’m motivated just to play — to have the max amount of fun doing it. If there’s a season [in 2020], I’ll be ready for it.”"

New Dodgers pitcher AJ Ramos hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2018.

The Texas native last pitched in the majors for the New York Mets in 2018, appearing in 28 games and struggling with a 6.41 ERA. He was shutdown in June due to season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Ramos had a wide repertoire of pitches when he last pitched in the big leagues, throwing as many as six different offerings, including a slider that he showcased in his recent tweet.

Per Baseball Savant, Ramos was throwing his slider 80.4 MPH with 16.3 inches of vertical movement, which is very close to the numbers he displayed in his workout video.

The Dodgers are clearly hoping to cash in on a low-risk and potential high-reward signing if the right-hander can prove he is ready to return to his All-Star form. With the season expected to bring the unexpected, manager Dave Roberts will need all of the arms he can get to make it through a compressed schedule.

Major League Baseball is hoping to release the official schedule next week, but early reports indicate the Dodgers could open at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants on July 23. The team is set to play 60 games, with 40 coming against divisional opponents and twenty against the American League West. The team will participate in their first official workout of summer camp on Saturday.