Ramirez batted .330 in April, but a 0-for-20 stretch pushed his batting line for the season down to .254 Still, the move comes a surprise given that he has the third-most starts on the Red Sox this season and hit in the middle of the order in all of those starts. A $22 million option for 2019 would've triggered had Ramirez reached 497 plate appearances this season, something that no doubt factored into the Red Sox' decision here.