DETROIT — Veteran catcher Wilson Ramos officially retired from baseball on Sunday after signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the Washington Nationals.
The 37-year-old spent parts of 12 seasons in the majors, playing for seven different teams, including a brief stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2021. Ramos joined the Tigers on a one-year, $2 million contract just before spring training and opened the season as their starting catcher. He hit six home runs over an eight-game stretch in April but struggled afterward due to a back injury. With Jake Rogers and Eric Haase stepping up behind the plate, the Tigers chose to release Ramos on June 15, 2021, rather than activate him from the injured list.
A native of Venezuela, Ramos made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2010 before being traded to Washington later that same year. He spent seven seasons with the Nationals and earned All-Star honors in 2016.
He later signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017 and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018. Over the following three seasons, Ramos posted strong offensive numbers, hitting .288 with a .785 OPS and 34 homers in 1,095 plate appearances — solid production for a catcher.
Early in his career, Ramos was praised for his defense, but his performance behind the plate declined with age. This led the New York Mets to decline a $10 million team option for 2021 in favor of a $1.5 million buyout. Detroit then picked him up in free agency.
Ramos made headlines in 2011 when he was kidnapped at gunpoint in Venezuela. He was rescued by commandos on November 11 — a date he later had tattooed on his arm.
After his time in Detroit, Ramos played nine games with Cleveland. He continued his career in independent ball in 2023 and also played winter ball in Venezuela as recently as last year.
