BOSTON -- Hanley Ramirez is a different hitter this year. And he knew he had the ability to be this productive within 24 hours after Dr. James Andrews repaired his shoulder last October.

"I'll tell you what: I went back the next day to see Andrews after the surgery," Ramirez told MassLive.com here at Fenway Park on Friday. "And he got me (out of) the sling. And he was moving my arm and I was like, 'Whoa. This feels good.' Right away. I was feeling I had more range of motion when he was stretching me. I was able to do things even the day after the surgery. You know? To move my shoulder more freely."

A healthy and re-energized Ramirez has taken the 2018 season by storm. He's batting .357 with a .417 on-base percentage, .548 slugging percentage, .964 OPS, two homers, two doubles and 12 RBIs in 48 plate appearances.

It's early, but Ramirez seems different on and off the field.

He has been tweeting messages after victories. He started during the second series in Miami. Sometimes he'll write something humorous. He seems to be trying to energize his teammates and the fans.

He'll blow past the 497 plate appearances required for his $22 million 2019 option to vest if he remains healthy and continues to be this kind of force as Boston's No. 3 hitter.

"I don't care about that. If I'm going to get paid, I'm going to paid anyways."

He at least says he's not concerned about his 2019 option vesting. But he does care about staying here in Boston beyond 2018. And he's showing he wants to be here by his actions (not just his slugging).

His tweeting is a perfect example of how he's engaged and motivated. He wants to retire as a Red Sox just like his mentor David Ortiz did.

"I'm going to stay here," Ramirez said. "I belong to Boston. I got drafted here. I'm not going nowhere. Don't you worry about that. I'm going to finish here."

So what's up with that postgame tweeting?

"Let the fans know things that I've been thinking and how I feel. I try to be funny, you know? Sometimes, I try to be funny."

Tweeting postgame is not a conscious effort on his part to be a leader for the 2018 Red Sox.

"We've got one leader," he said.

Manager Alex Cora is who he's referencing.

"That's it," Ramirez said. "We feel like we're just brothers (on this team) at home. We try to help each other every game and make everybody to (feel) happy at home. Like a family. Hang out with your brothers and let them know you're there for them. That's what we're trying to do in here. It's not like trying to be a leader or nothing like that. Because you're a leader by example."

Ramirez felt like he was swinging with one arm during 2017 because of his shoulder issues. But he doesn't view 2017 as a frustrating, wasted season despite his OPS dropping 116 points from 2016.

"No, because I learned from that," Ramirez said. "That made me work harder. It made me work extremely hard and tell myself that that's in the past. You've got a different shoulder. You've got to work hard to get back where you've always been and do things on the field hitting."

The Red Sox organization has encouraged Ramirez to show his true personality and connect with the fans.

"That's one of the things everybody keeps telling me from the front office, all the (people) who work here doing things off the field, that you've got to let the fans know you're a great guy," Ramirez said. "My first 10 years in the big leagues, it was just about baseball. I'm a different person on the field and off the field. On the field, I don't have no friends. Only my teammates. That's it. I'm not here to make friends on the field."

Ramirez has been characterized at times during his 13-plus seasons in the big leagues as aloof and a negative clubhouse presence. But he feels like he got labeled that way because he was quiet around the media in his younger years.

He enjoys himself off the field before games. His two sons, Hanley Jr. and Hansel, are always around him during the summer. He pitches and hits grounders to them and some of the other players' and coaches' children.

He also wants people to understand "nice Hanley" doesn't exist on the field.

"I don't want people to say on the field that I'm a good guy," Ramirez said. "On the field, I don't want to be a good guy. I want to be a bad guy. I go on the field to crush people. That's what I like to do. You go there to win games, man."

Ramirez feels Red Sox players are feeding off Cora's energy and personality.

"Even when we're losing," he said. "You know that second game against the Yankees when we were losing (8-1). He just kept saying, 'We're going to have our inning. Keep going out, try to stop them (on offense). Then we're going to come back and score some runs for you guys.' He never panics. He don't panic.

"He just motivates us through the game. You see that game against Tampa in the bottom of the eighth. And he just keep pushing us to the limit. And it's what you need from your guy, from your leader, from your manager. When you've got a guy like that, it's fun."

Ramirez not only wants to finish his career with the Red Sox, but he think he has plenty of productive years remaining.

"I'm in a different stage of my career now. I know now what I need to do to be successful. What I did this offseason, that's what I'm going to continue to do from now on. Stay light. Work hard. Not heavy weight. You know? Stay in the weight limit and keep playing baseball until you win it."

As for his tweeting, Ramirez checks replies and mentions occasionally.

"Not a lot because there's so many," he said. "I try to pick a couple good ones, positive things and just reply back."

Fans seem to be enjoying it.

"That's good because you feel that positive vibe," Ramirez said.