There is discord in the Florida Marlins clubhouse, and predictably, it involves Hanley Ramirez yet again.
On Wednesday night, as the shortstop was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the shoulder injury sustained earlier this month, teammate Logan Morrison lamented that Ramirez has not become "an anchor for us."
When asked by the Sun-Sentinel whether Ramirez could become a veteran anchor, Morrison replied, "I guess, but he's not there every game. It's 162 games. It's not a 100-game season."
This is not the first time Morrison has groused about Ramirez. In June, he reportedly criticized Ramirez in the Marlins clubhouse for showing up to the ballpark later than all his teammates all season long, saying that was the reason his batting average dropped off a cliff this year.
Since then, Ramirez also faced accusations of not trying hard enough from former Marlin Jeff Conine.
It's beginning to look like Ramirez' teammates are less willing to let his perceived lack of effort slide now that he's not competing for a batting title. Winning cures everything, as the saying goes, and with the Marlins in the middle of a seven-game losing streak, their struggling higly-paid shortstop makes for a convenient scapegoat.
However, Morrison accused the Sentinel of misquoting him on Twitter late Wednesday night, saying, "funny how u left the part out about how unfortunate it is that he was hurt and that he could be an anchor if he was healthy."
Even so, his frustration with Ramirez is apparent. Replying "I guess" when asked whether Ramirez could be a veteran anchor is hardly a rousing endorsement of his teammate.
Ramirez is on the DL retroactive to August 3, meaning he will be eligible to return from the DL on August 18 when the Marlins start a four-game series against the San Diego Padres.
Ramirez injured his left shoulder on August 2 while trying to chase down a flyball in shallow left field against the New York Mets. He writhed around in pain on the grass after failing to make the grab, but an MRI taken a few days after the incident confirmed he sprained his shoulder.
