Mar 2, 2014; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals catcher
Wilson Ramos(40) bats in the fourth inning as the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 10-3 in a spring training exhibition game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos was placed on the 15-day disabled list after undergoing successful surgery to remove the hamate bone of his left hand Wednesday afternoon. Ramos is expected to miss four to eight weeks, but the recovery time could be longer or shorter depending on how he progresses in rehab.
Ramos sustained the injury sometime during his at bat in the seventh inning of Monday’s game against the Mets. The Nationals’ catcher seemed to check his hand after a foul tip during that at bat and struck out looking on a fast ball right down the middle, a clear sign that something was wrong. Jose Lobaton replaced Ramos in the bottom of the seventh inning.
For a while after Monday’s game it looked like Ramos would not require surgery, with initial x-rays coming back negative. Unfortunately for Ramos and the Nationals, further testing showed that there was in fact a fracture in the hamate bone and that surgery was required.
Although Ramos could be back within a month, it could take longer for the right-hander’s power to come back, given the location of the injury. But according to MASN’s Dan Kolko, several Nationals players have had a similar surgery and did not notice any significant loss of power.
With Ramos out of commission for the foreseeable future, Jose Lobaton will be the Nationals’ everyday catcher and Sandy Leon will take over the backup job after being called up from Double-A Harrisburg Wednesday.