Having spent the entirety of his professional baseball career in the Dodgers organization until he signed a minor league deal with the Mets this offseason, José Ramos has yet to get a shot in the big leagues. And heading into his age-25 season, he seems most likely to begin the year in Triple-A Syracuse.
After signing with Los Angeles as an international free agent out of Panama in 2018, Ramos first played in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, putting up a relatively pedestrian .739 OPS. Like all minor league players, he didn’t play in any games in 2020, but he came back strong in 2021 with a .329/.396/.576 line and 11 home runs in just 288 plate appearances in Rookie and Single-A ball.
As he moved up the ranks of the Dodgers’ system, though, Ramos tended to see worse results. In 2022, between Single-A and High-A, he finished with an .818 OPS. And in Double-A the following year, he wound up with a .742 OPS. The Dodgers had him repeat the level in 2024, and things went worse the second time around, as he hit just .221/.308/.388. He started the 2025 season in Double-A once again, and things didn’t improve, as he hit ten home runs but had just a .688 OPS in 58 games at the level to start the year.
Despite those struggles, the Dodgers bumped Ramos up to their Triple-A affiliate for the first time in July. The change of scenery seemed to help, even if the Pacific Coast League features some particularly hitter-friendly parks. Ramos hit .295/.359/.557 with eight home runs in 167 plate appearances.
Defensively, Ramos has played center field the majority of the time in his minor league career, but he’s logged significant innings in right field and played a little bit of left field, as well. That relative flexibility could give him a better chance at getting his first look in the big leagues this year with the Mets, as the team’s outfield is perhaps the most uncertain part of its roster.
Luis Robert Jr. hasn’t been the most durable player, Tyrone Taylor struggled mightily at the plate last year, and Carson Benge isn’t a lock to hit the ground running this season, even if there’s very good reason to be excited about the Mets leaving the left field job open for him to win in spring training. And we’ll see if the Mets really intend to use Brett Baty at all in left field.
Ramos would have to establish himself as the team’s best option should they need to call someone up from the minor league ranks, and he won’t be without competition. Mets prospects A.J. Ewing and Nick Morabito might both start the year in Syracuse and have center field experience and at least some innings logged in a corner outfield spot. And Ramos isn’t the only mid-to-late 20s outfielder who will be in the mix, either.
There are quite a few variables in the mix here, but we know that David Stearns likes a center fielder who can hit home runs. We’ll presumably get a look at Ramos a bit in spring training and then plenty more in Syracuse, and if he’s a good defender in center, even a decent line at the plate in Triple-A might be enough to get him a look.