Washington Nationals Catcher Wilson Ramos Tears ACL; Likely Done for Season

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.  Ramos will undergo surgery to repair the damage sustained during Saturday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, and the Nationals are expecting to be without their primary catcher for most, if not all, of the 2012 season.  Former backup Jesus Flores will take over as starting catcher for the Nationals, and Sandy Leon has been called up to replace Ramos on Washington’s roster.

Ramos sustained the injury in the bottom of the seventh inning of Saturday night’s contest.  A high fastball bounced out of Ramos’s glove and headed toward the backstop.  With a runner on first, Ramos hustled back to try to keep him from advancing.  Ramos was able to get to the ball quickly, but when he reached down to make the throw to second his right knee buckled under him.

Ramos immediately hit the ground and remained there for some time before he was removed from the game.

After watching replay after replay of the incident, many expected the worst.  Washington announced the results of Ramos’s MRI yesterday, and Nationals manager Davey Johnson told reporters that the club is expecting to be without Ramos for most of the year.

Ramos, 24, burst onto the major league scene last season for the Nationals.  After coming up through the Nationals minor league system as one of the game’s top prospects, Ramos got his shot as Washington’s everyday catcher last season.

Over his 113 games played and 389 at-bats, Ramos hit at a clip of .267/.334/.445 with 15 home runs, 22 doubles and 52 RBIs.  Ramos began his 2012 campaign by maintaining a .752 OPS over his first 83 at-bats.

Jesus Flores has spent parts of five seasons with the Nationals and sports a career OPS of .689 over his 695 at-bats.  The next appearance Sandy Leon makes at the major league level will be his first.  The 23-year-old hasn’t played above the Double-A level, though he had posted an OPS of .814 for the Nationals Double-A affiliate before getting the call this weekend.

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