Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez is hoping to continue his baseball career in his home country of the Dominican Republic. Ramirez, who retired after a positive test for a banned substance in the first week of the 2011 season, chose to retire rather than serve his 100 game suspension.
The positive test marked the second time in his career that Ramirez was caught for a banned substance. In 2009, while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ramirez served a 50-game ban for his first positive test.
By playing in his home country, Ramirez is hoping to motivate kids in the Dominican to play baseball and also to give the fans in his country the thrill of seeing him play one more time.
According to Winston Llenas, the president of the Cibao Eagles, Ramirez will rejoin his old team sometime in the next week to begin training.
Ramirez is also facing charges of domestic abuse in Florida following an incident with his wife last week.