Baseball, Rehab, and TikTok: Erasmo Ramirez Keeps the Dream Alive

[Sherry Cerny]

Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a major payroll and roster purge, the Twins have opened the door for players from the lower levels of the organization to make their mark. For some, this is a crucial chance to show they belong in the major leagues. One of those players will be veteran reliever Erasmo Ramirez.

Ramirez was picked up by the Twins in the offseason, signing on February 15th. A veteran with 14 years of big league experience, he has pitched for six teams, most recently for the Tampa Bay Rays, which is no shock; the Twins share a lot of pitching philosophies with the Rays. 

Ramirez went 3-0 with a 4.35 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.2 WAR across 13 appearances early last season with the Rays. He was sent down to the Durham Bulls and made 37 appearances in posting a 3-4 record, 3.23 ERA, 1.226 WHIP and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. 

The 34-year-old joined the Twins for the big league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee, but suffered an injury after only pitching one spring training game. On March 9th, it was announced that he had a severe shoulder strain and would undergo a rehab assignment in Florida. That rehab lasted all summer before finally getting a chance in June to test out his arm.  

Ramirez worked hard in Florida before getting to the team, and began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 20. After three appearances, Ramirez proved his health and was moved up to St. Paul on July 1st. 

Ramirez has pitched in seven games and has a 1-1 with a 6.55 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings and -0.6 WAR in those 11 innings, but those subpar numbers are a little deceiving. In his last outing, on Saturday against Toledo, his ERA soared from 2.55 to 6.55. Ramirez knows that those days are going to happen, but he also knows that means he has to lock in and do more work. Ramirez recently told Theo Tolefson of Zone Coverage: 

“Well, everything’s been amazing, almost like the body has come back to normal,” said Ramirez. “The recovery of my arm and like when I was the younger version of me, like I pitched today, tomorrow, almost feels like I didn’t pitch at all.” 

That’s a great start and surely a testament to the pitching staff and how they help the Twins pitchers work through injury and get ready to return to the big leagues. 

Ramirez also told Tollefson that he is aware of his presence as a veteran and knows that his hard work directly affects the others on the team who look up to him. 

A humble man off the field, he and his wife Rhea have created Tiktok accounts to help understand the baseball life from each one’s perspective. Ramirez's account shares his journey of healing and recovery. Open to criticism and praise, he takes the good with the bad, because his goal is to help people understand what goes on behind the scenes. 

That includes the support he gets from people behind the scenes. Twins Daily spoke with his wife Rhea Ramirez, who was elated that he was on the big league bus on his way over to Cleveland’s Progressive Field with six of his teammates on Thursday night. She knows the heavy burden that being a player can be and trades are hard on everyone, but also, they give other players a chance to shine. When asked whether there was anything that she wanted people to know, she said, “Just that he has worked so hard to make it this far. This is his 14th big league season and he’s almost reached 10 years [of service time] and he’s ready”. 

The Twins' shakeup left a lot of heartache and anger in its wake, but for players like Ramirez, it’s a chance to show that he is ready to return to the big leagues and to be a contributor to the team to finish out this season and hopefully be back for 2026. 

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[tarheeltwinsfan]

Nice article. He got the save today. Great story.

[Doctor Wu]

I love these type of comeback stories. Good article, Sherry! I didn't know much about the player, but obviously we all hope that Ramirez will be effective for the Twins in the bullpen this month and next. 

[h2oface]

Sugarcoat it all you want - this guy sucks. Ultra wild. He was lucky he didn’t blow the lead with all the contact and lack of control. 

[Sherry Cerny]

5 minutes ago, h2oface said:

Sugarcoat it all you want - this guy sucks. Ultra wild. He was lucky he didn’t blow the lead with all the contact and lack of control. 

like everyone else in the bullpen is amazing? dude, I didn't write it saying he was Duran, I was telling his story, which at year 14 is pretty amazing. 

[Sherry Cerny]

7 hours ago, Doctor Wu said:

I love these type of comeback stories. Good article, Sherry! I didn't know much about the player, but obviously we all hope that Ramirez will be effective for the Twins in the bullpen this month and next. 

He really wants to be as well! Time will tell, but the comeback and year 14 is pretty solid! Thank you! I'm better at the human stories at times, because we forget that they are human at times. 

[h2oface]

6 hours ago, Sherry Cerny said:

like everyone else in the bullpen is amazing? dude, I didn't write it saying he was Duran, I was telling his story, which at year 14 is pretty amazing. 

Whatever, dude. Count me as one tired of mediocre aging out of shape fat guys taking up roster space. It is a sad story for a MLB baseball team when there is a spot on the roster for a guy that has no chance of being part of the future when the only thing left for this team this year is to source out players that can be. 

[Sherry Cerny]

On 8/4/2025 at 8:37 PM, h2oface said:

Whatever, dude. Count me as one tired of mediocre aging out of shape fat guys taking up roster space. It is a sad story for a MLB baseball team when there is a spot on the roster for a guy that has no chance of being part of the future when the only thing left for this team this year is to source out players that can be. 

To be fair, no one has a chance of being on this roster outside of maybe, FIVE players. This team isn't safe for anyone.