Ramos suffered a torn ACL in May and underwent surgery to repair his injury soon after. He is expected to be fully healed for Opening Day, but the Nationals have offseason acquisition Kurt Suzuki penciled in as their No. 1 catcher to start the season. This will give Ramos even more time to work his way back into an everyday role, according to Zuckerman.

Still, the Nationals have taken steps to put backup options in place in case Ramos suffers a setback that sidelines him for an even more extensive stretch. Washington acquired Suzuki from the Oakland Athletics, and they signed veteran reserve Chris Snyder to a minor league deal yesterday. Snyder figures to backup Suzuki to start the regular season, but his contract includes an opt-out clause if he doesn’t break camp with the Nationals.