Wilson Ramos returns to D.C. for LASIK surgery

By Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

March 03, 2016, 5:40am

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VIERA, Fla. - Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos left camp this morning and returned to Washington, D.C., for LASIK eye surgery in an attempt to improve his vision.

Ramos didn't suffer from any injury or ailment, manager Dusty Baker said. The problem simply was discovered during the annual eye exam all players are given as part of their spring training physical.

Wilson Ramos bat white close.png "They just discovered it," Baker said. "That's the reason why they didn't do it earlier, when you do the exams and all that stuff. We decided it's better now than later. And he'll really be able to hit now."

Ramos' offensive production did drop last season, when he hit just .229 with a .258 on-base percentage, .616 OPS and 20 percent strikeout rate. Those all represented career-low numbers despite the fact he played in a career-high 128 games.

The 28-year-old catcher had been participating fully in early spring workouts and served as designated hitter in the Nationals' intrasquad games at the start of the week. He hasn't appeared in a Grapefruit League game yet, and though he'll return to Viera on Saturday, he likely won't play for several more days.

"He's not supposed to do anything for a week," Baker said.