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Suzuki ready to accept less playing time

WASHINGTON -- Though he began the season splitting time behind the plate with Wilson Ramos, Kurt Suzuki has spent most of the year as an everyday player, as Ramos has made two trips to the disabled list. But with Ramos expected to return within the week, Suzuki's playing time figures to drop dramatically.

"You just have to deal with it," Suzuki said. "You can't really think about it. You just have to be ready to play. I don't put too much stock in that. It's something that's out of my control. I have to control going out there and playing every time I get the call."

Monday was Suzuki's 34th start in 42 games during Ramos' latest DL stint, with Jhonatan Solano taking the others. When Ramos has been healthy, manager Davey Johnson has employed close to a 50-50 split.

Suzuki entered Monday hitting .217/.262/.283 since Ramos' most recent injury. He is 5-for-9 in his last two games, including his first home run since April 17.

"I feel the last, probably, three weeks, I've been feeling like how I felt [the last two days]," Suzuki said. "I'm just getting hits now. Of course, if you look at the stats, it looks like I'm getting back. But I feel no different than I felt a couple of weeks ago."

Andrew Simon is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @HitTheCutoff.
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