Wilson Ramos X-Rays Negative, Will See Hand Specialist Tuesday

Feb 28, 2014; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman

(68) cannot hold the throw as Washington Nationals catcher

(40) takes third base in spring training action at Tradition Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

After Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos left today’s game against the Mets in the seventh inning with an apparent hand injury, many feared the worst. Within a couple of hours, rumors were circling on Twitter that Ramos had suffered a broken hand and would miss five weeks of the season. One report even went as far as saying Ramos would return to D.C. for surgery tomorrow. Fortunately for Ramos and the Nationals, it appears the situation is not quite as dire for the oft-injured catcher.

In his post game press conference after his first Major League game as a manager, Matt Williams put the rumors about Ramos to rest, announcing that the x-rays on Ramos’ hand had come back negative.

"“We have a lot of little bones in there so we have to make sure,” Williams told the Washington Post’s James Wagner. “…Our x-rays say negative as we speak. So we’ll get a further test on it and take a look.”"

While he’s not out of the woods yet, the fact that there is no fracture in Ramos’ hand is great news for a catcher who has been plagued by the injury bug throughout his career. Ramos has played in just 103 games over the last two seasons due to a knee injury in 2012 and two hamstring injuries in 2013.

Although the x-rays came back negative, the Nationals would not be sending Ramos to a specialist if there was nothing wrong with his hand. So while he might not miss five weeks, odds are the team will have to rely on Jose Lobaton to take over the starting job, at least for the next few days.

While Lobaton would likely be able to take care of business while Ramos is out, the Nationals’ lineup is at its best with Ramos driving in runs in the middle of the order. All the Nationals can do now is wait for Ramos’ visit to the specialist tomorrow, and hope for the best.