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Report: Indians' Ramirez could return Tuesday vs. White Sox

Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It appears the Cleveland Indians could get a major reinforcement to help make a final playoff push.

Indians manager Terry Francona said on Sunday that third baseman Jose Ramirez may return to Cleveland's lineup Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox

"The hope is - it’s not in stone - that he’ll play on Tuesday. It’s realistic," the skipper said, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

The two-time All-Star has been out since late August after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right hand. The original timeline for his recovery was five-to-seven weeks.

Ramirez has been taking batting practice and ground balls at third base for the past several days, and he impressed the Indians when facing live pitching on Saturday as medical staff evaluated his reaction to the workout, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Ramirez has recorded a .254/.325/.463 slash line with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 126 contests this season. The 27-year-old finished third in AL MVP voting in 2017 and 2018.

Cleveland enters Sunday's action four games behind the Minnesota Twins for first in the AL Central, and one game back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the second wild-card spot.

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