Yokohama BayStars slugger Alex Ramirez is all but certain to miss the team's season opener against the Hanshin Tigers on March 30 at Kyocera Dome with a thigh injury.
An MRI in a Yokohama hospital showed Monday that Ramirez has a mild tear in his left thigh muscle after he awkwardly ran the bases in the sixth inning of the previous day's 3-2 exhibition loss to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. The former Yomiuri Giants star will likely need three weeks to fully recover.