Manny Ramirez is eyeing another comeback to professional baseball.
The former Boston Red Sox star and Yankees nemesis hasn’t played in any professional league since 2017, when he was trying to make it in Japan’s Shikoku Island League Plus. But in an interview published Wednesday by The Taiwan Times, Ramirez said he is looking to “find a roster spot” in the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
“I have been itching to get back in the batter’s box and be able to compete again,” Ramirez, who turns 48 next month, told the Times. “I also miss being around teammates and team dinners postgame. I know if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach, it would do great things for the organization and the league.”
Ramirez, a 12-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion, last played in the CPBL in 2013 with the EDA Rhinos. The five-team league has drawn worldwide attention in recent months considering it’s the only major professional baseball league to start its 2020 season amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
In 2013, Ramirez posted a .352 batting average and eight home runs in 49 games, making him one of the most dominant players in the CPBL at the time. The nine-time Silver Slugger recipient told the Times that his return would help the league, noting a boost in attendance during his 2013 debut.
“My message to the CPBL clubs would be that I am still confident in my ability to serve as a player-coach and provide positive contributions to any ball club that is willing to have me on their staff/roster,” he said. “I have been working out daily and keeping my mind at ease, with only one thing in mind – how to get back on the field.”
Ramirez, who played 19 MLB seasons, said the Atlantic League, an independent U.S. league, has invited him to play, but he has his sights set on going back to Taiwan. He played in 49 games with the Rhinos before leaving and returning to the United States.
Playing for five different teams over the course of his MLB career, Ramirez hit .312 with a .996 OPS and 555 home runs. He won two titles with the Red Sox, getting named MVP of the series in 2004, and was considered to be a key piece in helping break “The Curse of the Bambino.”
He was suspended 50 games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug restrictions while with the Dodgers in 2009. Ramirez then retired in 2011 after testing positive for elevated testosterone.
The CPBL’s 2020 season started on April 11 without spectators to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The league delayed the season twice from its original start date on March 14.
