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As expected, the Washington Nationals announced the return of Wilson Ramos this afternoon, bringing the 26-year-old catcher off the 15-Day DL in time to start the four-game set with the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field.
#Nats have returned from rehab & reinstated C Wilson Ramos from the 15-day DL & optioned C Sandy Leon to Syracuse: http://t.co/sDebl35KQ8
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 26, 2014
Ramos returned from a broken hamate bone in his left hand suffered on Opening Day in the first week of May and he was heating up at the plate, going 18 for 52 (.346/.393/.500) with five doubles, a home run and hits in 11 of 13 games before he suffered a Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring running out his second double of the game in a June 10th matchup with the Giants in AT&T Park in San Francisco.
As he worked his way back, the Nationals' backstop went 7 for 16 (.438 AVG) with a double and two home runs in four rehab games, two each for the Potomac Nationals and Harrisburg Senators.
To make room on the roster for Ramos' return, the Nats optioned 25-year-old catcher Sandy Leon to Triple-A Syracuse after a two week stretch in which he started three games and went 2 for 15 at the plate backing up for Jose Lobaton.
Ramos has already missed significant time this season with the hamate bone and hamstring injuries.
The former Twins' prospect acquired by the Nationals in a July 2010 trade that sent Matt Capps to Minnesota, has put up a .261/.314/.370 line with seven doubles and a home run in 24 games and 102 plate appearances this season, after a .272/.307/.470, nine double and 16 HR, +1.8 fWAR 2013 campaign in which he suffered two hamstring injuries that resulted in separate DL stints that limited the five-year veteran to 78 games and 303 PAs.
• Ramos is in the lineup for the first game of four with the Cubs:
#Nats lineup vs. #Cubs: Span CF, Rendon 3B, Werth RF, LaRoche 1B, Zimmerman LF, Desmond SS, Ramos C, Espinosa 2B, Fister P
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 26, 2014