Rays' Ramos to miss All-Star Game due to hamstring injury

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Wilson Ramos will have to watch the All-Star Game from the sidelines.

After leaving Saturday's game early due to a tight left hamstring, Ramos - who was voted in as the American League's starting catcher for this year's midsummer classic - announced that he'll have to skip Tuesday's All-Star Game because of the injury.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez will replace him as the AL's starting catcher.

Despite being unable to play on Tuesday, Ramos will be in attendance at Nationals Park and take part in the pregame ceremonies.

"It's very frustrating to not participate in the All-Star Game, but it's better to miss one game than two months," Ramos told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times following the Rays' 19-6 win over Minnesota. "I have to be smart and do my rehab well and come back strong.''

Ramos added that he expects to land on the disabled list because of the issue.

The 30-year-old has re-established himself as one of the league's premier catchers this season, slashing .297/.346/.486 with 14 homers, 14 doubles, and 53 RBIs in 77 games for the Rays. He's tied with Gary Sanchez for the most homers by an AL catcher this year, and has been worth 1.8 fWAR to the Rays this season, by far the highest total at his position in the Junior Circuit.

Ramos' resurgence has apparently caught the eye of several contenders, as the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals are reportedly interested in trading for him.