While his old team is two wins from a championship, Hanley Ramirez has apparently been quietly plotting his return to Major League Baseball.
Ramirez, the once-feared slugger who was released by the Boston Red Sox in May and hasn't played since, is working out in his native Dominican Republic in hopes of making a comeback in 2019, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports.
Ramirez is going to participate in winter ball during the offseason as part of his comeback plans, Heyman reports.
Ramirez signed an $88-million contract with the Red Sox four years ago, but never quite lived up to expectations. He only played more than 140 games once over his time in Boston while battling injuries and hit just 78 homers while posting a 103 OPS+ that was well below what he put up during his pre-Red Sox career.
Boston designated the 34-year-old for assignment on May 25 after he put up a .254/.313/.395 line with six homers in 44 games this season. The team released him several days later after being unable to find a trade partner, a move that forced Boston to eat all of his remaining $22.75-million salary.
Although a couple of teams were reportedly interested, Ramirez was unable to find even a minor-league contract following his release.
Ramirez has compiled a .290/.361/.487 slash line with 269 homers, 989 RBIs, and 281 stolen bases over his 14-year career with the Red Sox, Florida Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers. His best seasons came with the Marlins, with whom he won a pair of Silver Slugger awards at shortstop and claimed the 2009 NL batting title.
