Washington Nationals: Do They Dare Move Bryce Harper Back to Catcher?

The probable season-ending injury to Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is only one of several injuries suffered by Nationals players this season. Ryan Zimmerman is now healthy, but players like Jayson Werth, Michael Morse, Drew Storen and now Ramos have either been out or will be out for extended periods of time.

Unfortunately for Ramos, it seems that he's the only one who's definitely done for the 2012 season.

To try and fill the void left behind home plate, the Nationals called up Sandy Leon, who had been playing in Double-A Harrisburg.

Ramos' backup, Jesus Flores, will probably take majority of the load left by Ramos, with Leon backing him up. The Nationals also have Carlos Maldonado in Triple-A Syracuse who could also see some time.

The question that could come up for Washington is whether to move Bryce Harper back to behind the plate.

It's no secret that Harper played nearly all of his amateur career as a catcher. It was only after the Nationals selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft that he started to play the outfield.

When teams move talented prospects from behind the plate to another position, it's usually to save their legs and to try and extend their careers before any injuries can occur. Not to say that serious injuries can't occur in the outfield, but you hate to see what happened to Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants last season.

Moving Harper out of the outfield could be a huge risk to the Nationals, as he's already played the last two seasons in the outfield, learning the tricks of the trade out there. He hasn't caught a game since 2010.

Still, when Harper was a catcher, he was phenomenal, and the lack of the depth for the Nationals at the moment could present an interesting opportunity.

Do the Washington Nationals dare put Bryce Harper at catcher due to the absence of Wilson Ramos?