Arlington, TX – If Manny Ramirez entertained any ideas of returning to the major leagues, the Texas Rangers are about to indulge them.
On Wednesday, the AL West club announced they agreed to terms on a minor league contract with the slugger and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock.
The 41-year-old is expected to arrive in Texas on Thursday, then work out with the club for a few days before being officially activated.
Ramirez began the season with the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, hitting a robust .352 with eight homers, 13 doubles and 43 RBI along with a .422 on-base percentage and .555 slugging percentage. His contract was terminated in mid-June.
A 12-time All-Star, the native of the Dominican Republic last suited up in the majors two years ago, when he batted just .059 with one RBI in five games for the Tampa Bay Rays before announcing his retirement to avoid a 100-game suspension for a second violation of MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy.
Nonetheless, Ramirez compiled 555 home runs and 1,831 RBI over 2,302 games with the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays in a 19-year career.
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