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Ramos credits Suzuki for evolution as catcher

KANSAS CITY -- With Kurt Suzuki traded to the A's on Thursday night, Wilson Ramos will be the everyday catcher. Although Ramos is pleased to play every day behind the plate, he called Suzuki a great teammate.

When Spring Training started this season, Ramos made sure he learned a lot about the game from Suzuki. He said Suzuki had more experience than he did. Ramos had the same experience with Ivan Rodriguez in 2011.

"I like to be close to them. I asked them about everything. Every day, I learned something different," Ramos said. "Kurt knows a lot. He has a lot of experience. He helped me a lot. I saw him play and I learned a lot.

"I know it was a hard moment for the team, because he was a good player, good teammate and he had a pretty good relationship [with everyone] here. We will suffer for that, but we need to understand that this is a business. We have to respect the decision."

Ramos is having a solid season, hitting .292 with eight home run and 31 RBIs entering Friday's action against the Royals. After missing so much time due to hamstring injuries this season, Ramos said he is healthy and is ready to play every day.

"This is an opportunity to play more. That's a big responsibility for me. I'm ready to take it," he said.

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also can be found on Twitter @WashinNats.
Read More: Washington Nationals, Wilson Ramos