Ramirez remains out of the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays.

Ramirez will receive a second straight day off Friday in favor of Mike Aviles at shortstop. There's no indication of a permanent shift at the spot yet, but it wouldn't be surprising if there's more days off in the future given Ramirez's slow start offensively this season.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Ramirez got an opportunity to hit second for the Indians on Wednesday, but went 0-for-4 in the role. He's scuffled mightily at the plate thus far, but received a vote of confidence from the GM on Wednesday. It's unclear how long his leash will be, however, with top prospect Francisco Lindor waiting in the wings.

Ramirez will hit second in the Indians' order Wednesday against the Royals, Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports.

Ramirez continues to battle through a large slump at the plate to begin the 2015 campaign. Through 17 games, the 22-year-old shortstop is batting just .186/.234/.254 with one home runs and two RBI. However, general manager Chris Antonetti offered a vote of confidence in him Wednesday, and perhaps the move up in the order will result in him busting out, but it's unclear if the move will last much beyond Wednesday.

Ramirez received a vote of confidence from general manager Chris Antonetti despite hitting just .186 (11-for-59) so far, MLB.com reports. "I would encourage [fans] to take a look at Jose Ramirez's body of work," Antonetti said. "Not only what he did last year at the Major League level, but the way he played and performed throughout our development system, because he's a guy that's produced at each level and played very well at each stop he's been at - including the Major Leagues. Admittedly, he's had a rough start to the season - offensively, especially - but he's the same guy that came up last year, struggled initially and then figured things out the second time and performed pretty well and was a big part of our team's success in the second half."

Ramirez isn't the only Indian off to a slow start at the plate but prospect Francisco Lindor is beginning to heat up at the plate at Triple-A after a sluggish start. The Indians seem reluctant to accelerate their timetable for Lindor but a struggling Ramirez certainly won't keep Lindor down in the minors once the Indians decide he's ready for the big leagues.

Ramirez will be held out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

Though Ramirez is a switch hitter, he's struggled mightily against lefties to begin the season, recording only a base hit and two walks over 21 plate appearances against southpaws. With lefty Kyle Lobstein on the bump for the Tigers, manager Terry Francona will look to optimize lineup a bit more righty-heavy by substituting Mike Aviles in at shortstop for Ramirez.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers.

Ramirez will see his first day off this year following five straight starts for the Tribe. The 22-year-old is currently riding a three-game hit streak, and is slashing .235/.316/.412 to start the year. Mike Aviles will draw the start at shortstop in his stead, while Jerry Sands mans left field.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk, two steals and a run against the Astros on Thursday.

Ramirez hit out of the two-hole for the second straight day Thursday, and this time he responded to the assignment with a huge day. Just 22 years old, Ramirez has nice upside after managing a .302/.360/.441 line as the second-youngest position player in the Triple-A International League last season. There's not a lot of power in his bat, but he makes a lot of contact and can steal bases, sort of like a young Erick Aybar.

Ramirez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Monday's Opening Day loss to the Astros.

Ramirez hit ninth in the contest and will enter the season having won the starting shortstop role in the spring. He'll likely share those duties with Mike Aviles and could eventually give way to prospect Francisco Lindor if he earns a promotion at some point this season, but a strong offensive performance in the early parts of the year could keep Ramirez in the lineup regardless.

Ramirez belted his first homer of the Cactus League season in a win over Arizona on Friday.

Ramirez is set to open the season as the starting shortstop for Cleveland with top prospect Francisco Lindor targeted for some more seasoning at Triple-A Columbus. Ramirez flashed some speed down the stretch last year and has a little bit of pop and should see regular action at the back of the Cleveland lineup.

Ramirez has a good shot at opening the 2015 season as the Indians' starting shortstop, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes reports.

Manager Terry Francona said Cleveland's top prospect, Francisco Lindor, will start the season in the minor leagues, meaning Ramirez and Mike Aviles will split time at short to start the season. In 280 big league plate appearances, Ramirez has a .262/.307/.353 slash line with two home runs and 10 steals. He has a relatively solid floor as a .260-.270 hitter with moderate speed and middle infield eligibility, but that kind of production really only has value in deeper leagues, especially since he won't be starting everyday. Look for Lindor to get called up in the summer months, and assume the starting shortstop job with the Indians.

Ramirez was 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Cleveland's win over the Rays on Friday night.

He's getting a long look as the season winds down and now has 16 RBI and a pair of homers to go with a .247 average. He is capable at both second and short so he'll push for regular playing time next year, even with the expected arrival of Francisco Lindor.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's romp over the Twins.

Ramirez has been hitting in the second spot in the order for a while and hasn't had too many days like this, hitting .246/.290/.318 in 211 at-bats heading into Sunday. Next year he'll need to hold off Francisco Lindor for the starting job, which he might do out of spring training. For what it's worth, his minor league numbers have typically been far better.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Saturday against the Tigers.

Ramirez will get the day off following a 1-for-4 night at the plate with his first time being caught stealing in nine attempts. Mike Aviles is in at shortstop in his place and will bat second for the Indians.

Ramirez had three hits and a stolen base in Saturday's 3-1 win over the White Sox.

Ramirez has excelled since being bumped up to the second spot in the batting order and his recent play figures to keep prospect Francisco Lindor down at Triple-A Columbus until their playoff run is over. It's hard to imagine Ramirez not getting regular playing time the rest of the way even if Lindor is called up.

Ramirez picked up two hits and stole a base in Friday's win over the Royals.

Ramirez is seeing regular playing time for the Indians with Zach Walters manning the DH spot on most nights. Cleveland hasn't announced any plans regarding a potential callup for Francisco Lindor but Triple-A Columbus is headed to the playoffs which figures to keep Lindor in the minors for a little while longer given Ramirez's steady performance so far.

Ramirez is out of the lineup Thursday against the Twins.

Ramirez had a 2-for-5 day at the plate Wednesday night, but with his overall line sitting at a meager .215/.263/.258 line over 93 at-bats, he hasn't quite run away with the shortstop job following the trade of Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals. The 21-year-old will continue to share time with Mike Aviles at shortstop, but both players could be relegated to backup roles if top prospect Francisco Lindor is promoted to the big leagues in September.

Ramirez isn't in the lineup Tuesday at Minnesota, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Since sitting out the first game of last Wednesday's doubleheader, Ramirez mustered just two sinvles, one RBI, two runs scored, and one steal in 12 at-bats. He'll yield shortstop to Mike Aviles, who is batting in the two-hole.

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Ramirez has played in every game since July 31 but will take a seat for the day game while Mike Aviles slots in at shortstop. While a lineup for the nightcap has not been released, Ramirez stands a good chance to return to the lineup.

Ramirez hit his first big-league home run Saturday, going 3-for-4 with two RBI against the Yankees.

He will see the bulk of the playing time at shortstop for Cleveland as long as Francisco Lindor remains in the minor leagues, but he'll typically be more of a speed threat than a power hitter.

Ramirez will start at shortstop and bat second in Thursday's lineup against the Mariners.

With the Indians trading away Asdrubal Cabrera to the Nationals prior to Thursday's trade deadline, the team has several intriguing options on hand to replace him at shortstop. Ramirez will get the first crack at filling in, but it may not be long before top prospect Francisco Lindor or Zack Walters, the player the Indians acquired in exchange for Cabrera, gets a chance at sticking at the position. To be fair, the 21-year-old Ramirez is no slouch as a prospect either, as he batted .302 with 19 stolen bases in 60 games at Triple-A Columbus before earning his promotion to the Indians.