Wilson Ramos: Quick Return to Diamond Is Right Move for Rescued Catcher

Wilson Ramos, the Washington Nationals catcher who was rescued from kidnappers in his native Venezuela Friday night, has just been through the most harrowing 51 hours of his life. Fortunately for him, the fact that the Venezuelan Winter League is starting its season gives him an immediate chance to start getting his life back to normal.

As reported by MASN Sports, Ramos announced (through a family friend) that he’s looking to get back on the diamond this week. He’s aiming to return Wednesday, when his Tigres de Aragua are at home against Caracas, and he’ll look to play “at least a few games” for the team to thank the league for supporting him in his ordeal.

Ramos had been home preparing to play for the Tigres when he was abducted from his family’s home last Wednesday. It’s not hard to see why he welcomes the opportunity to rejoin his team as he looks to put the kidnapping behind him.

The aftermath of the abduction and rescue has been filled with interviews pushing Ramos to relive what was already a horrifying experience the first time around. As grateful as he is to be safe, he’s got ample reasons for wanting to put this incident behind him rather than dwell on what he’s been through.

The quickest way to move forward for Ramos is to return to his normal life as best he can and to find something else to concentrate on. Baseball will give him both familiarity and focus, a perfect combination to help him make a well-deserved recovery.

The case could be made that staying in Venezuela after the kidnapping is tempting fate for Ramos, but it's his home and his family's home. Given the chance to stay with his relatives and play the game he loves, Ramos is making a choice that makes a lot of sense under the circumstances.