WASHINGTON - The Phillies were without catcher Wilson Ramos' productive bat for a second straight game Wednesday night.
Ramos spent the day in Philadelphia and had an MRI on his left wrist. He took pitches off the area while catching twice in the last few days and had been feeling some soreness in the area.
"So far, the results of the MRI are good," manager Gabe Kapler said before Wednesday night's game.
Kapler was noncommittal when asked if he believed Ramos would require time on the disabled list.
"We'll monitor how he's feeling and be prepared to read and react," Kapler said. "As of right now, he's good."
Ramos was scheduled to arrive back in Washington before the first pitch Wednesday night and he was on the lineup card as a reserve.
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The Phillies acquired Ramos from Tampa Bay last month. At the time, he was on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. Ramos was activated last week and quickly made a huge impact with his bat. In four games, he had seven hits including four doubles and a triple. Losing Ramos for more than a few games would be a significant blow to the Phillies, who are trying to stay in contention with a weak-hitting team. The Phils entered Wednesday ranked 29th in the majors with a .236 team batting average. Jorge Alfaro started at catcher Wednesday night with Zach Eflin on the mound.
Working with a new pitching staff can be a challenge for a catcher. Ramos was struck on the wrist by a pitch from Jake Arrieta in Saturday's game. The pitch hit Ramos' wrist with significant impact and he shook it right away. He was checked by a team athletic trainer, stayed in the game and caught the next night against the Mets in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. In that game, Ramos had a problem on another pitch.
"This was a ball that he caught and it kind of bent his wrist a little bit," Kapler said. "It was sore [Monday] so we wanted to get it checked."
Ramos did not play Tuesday night. Kapler admitted the sore wrist was a factor in Ramos' not playing, though Kapler did not disclose the issue at the time. On Tuesday, Kapler said he held Ramos out to protect his hamstring from a wet field.
