As expected, Ramirez had surgery on his shoulder during the offseason.
On Wednesday in South Florida, the 23-year-old underwent surgery to repair his labrum. The procedure was expected, and Ramirez is expected to be fully recovered in plenty of time for Spring Training.
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For a couple of years the shoulder has acted up on Ramirez. In the first inning of a July 22 game against the Reds, he left the game after mildly dislocating the shoulder on a swing.
A similar incident occurred in May 2006, during his NL Rookie of the Year season. In a game at Atlanta, he swung and missed a changeup, causing the shoulder to slightly dislocate.
Actually, this has been problem long before he made it to the majors. And as Fishfan24 reported last season, the eventuality of surgery on his shoulder was just a matter of time.
One outcome of this is that it will keep him out of playing winter ball, which isn't probably the worse thing in the world.
Assuming rehab goes well, and there is no reason to think it won't, since he is young and strong. It is conceivable that he may be better at the plate next season, assuming that is possible.
As for his fielding, he will still be a work in progress.