MINNEAPOLIS -- When Wilkin Ramirez collided with fellow Twins outfielder Josh Willingham earlier this year, he didn't think he'd be out for more than a few games.
That was May 25. Now, on Aug. 12, Ramirez finally returned to the Minnesota Twins' roster as he was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. The 27-year-old Ramirez missed 69 games and two-and-a-half months of action due to what at the time looked innocuous enough.
"When I hit myself on (Willingham), I thought in a day or two I'd be fine," said Ramirez, who hit .244 in 23 games before his concussion. "It was tough. I'm here now. That's the good thing about it. I'm here. I'll do whatever I have to do to help this team win."
As the Twins have learned the hard way over the last few years, though, sometimes those innocent plays are the ones that end up doing the most damage. That was the case when Justin Morneau was kneed in the head and missed half of the 2010 season. Those effects lingered with him for quite some time.
Recently, catcher Ryan Doumit was placed on the 7-day concussion DL after taking a foul ball off the mask -- something that happens seemingly every game for catchers. Third baseman Trevor Plouffe also experienced concussion-like symptoms back in late May, but unlike Ramirez, Plouffe was back in just seven days.
"I think you always think of concussions coming from someone getting whacked really hard. I think we've all seen that it's not necessarily how hard it hits you. It's just the way the contact's made and what it does to you," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.
"We've learned that you can't take these things lightly at all. Everybody's going to be different. This is part of baseball life now."
For Ramirez, it was part of his life for the better part of three months. He began his initial rehab assignment in late June but suffered a setback while playing for High-A Fort Myers.
Then, Ramirez experienced dizziness after he dove for a ball in a rehab game and had to take a step back in the process.
"He was on his way to coming back," said general manager Terry Ryan. "He was doing well down there in Florida. Then he dove for a ball and he reinjured himself."
Finally, after more rehab work and several additional games with a few of the Twins' minor league teams, Ramirez feels good enough to rejoin Minnesota. He said he's been symptom free for the past 15-20 days.
"The guys here, the trainers, they do a very good job. They've been through that," Ramirez said. "I just listened to what they told me and followed, and now I feel great."
As much as Ramirez listened to the trainers, he also listened to what Morneau had to say. Morneau has become the Twins' go-to expert in the clubhouse on dealing with concussions.
It's not a title he'd necessarily like to hold, but after the ordeal he went through in 2010 and into 2011, Morneau is somewhat of a well of concussion knowledge. That includes his chats with Ramirez as the outfielder dealt with the head injury.
"I just told him to make sure that if he's got issues going on, he's got to tell somebody. Because the only way anybody's going to know if anything's wrong is by him communicating and telling them. It's a tough injury because nobody sees it. You look OK. Everything looks fine. But you never know what somebody's feeling when they're going through that. I tried to just let him know that if he has any questions, I'm there for him."
Morneau talked Monday about the loneliness that can accompany a lengthy DL stint. When the team travels, injured players rarely do. Because of that, you can start to feel like you're not a part of the team anymore.
Perhaps that's why Ramirez was all smiles Monday as he rejoined his Twins teammates after what felt like an eternity dealing with an injury that none of them could see.
"Every at-bat that I get I'm just trying to compete and do the best job that I can do to help," Ramirez said. "I'm happy to be here. It's great to be here. Being back here is great. I'm happy to be here. I just thank God. I'm just blessed to be back here."
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