Former White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramírez tested positive for steroids at World Baseball Classic

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Fomer White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramírez tested positive for four anabolic steroids at the World Baseball Classic in March, where he set a record as its oldest player.

The 44-year-old Cuban tested positive for “metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone and stanozolol,” the International Testing Agency said Wednesday in announcing his provisional ban from the sport.

Ramírez played nine years in Major League Baseball mostly at shortstop for the White Sox (2008-15), San Diego Padres (2016) and Tampa Bay Rays (2016). He was runner-up in the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year vote, won by the Rays’ Evan Longoria.

An Olympic champion with Cuba at the 2004 Athens Games, Ramírez was on the silver medal-winning team at the 2006 WBC, won by Japan. There, the 43-year-old Roger Clemens set the previous record for oldest player by representing the United States.

Ramírez returned to the Cuba roster 20 years later as a bench player to break the mark.

The ITA said it notified Ramírez of the result from a sample taken during the tournament. Cuba did not advance from the pool phase.

The agency based in Lausanne, Switzerland, said the steroids in question are “associated with promoting rapid muscle growth, increased strength and enhanced physical performance.”

An All-Star in 2014, Ramírez had a .246 career average with 115 homers and 590 RBIs.

Martin has been the picture of reliability early this season, pitching to a 1.95 ERA over six rock-solid starts.
Romo homered from both sides of the plate while providing the first dingers from a Sox catcher this season.
More than half the Sox’ runs have come via the long ball early in the season, but they’re still thinking small, too.
An announced crowd of 10,193 — and 821 dogs on Dog Day — whittled down to perhaps several hundred after the game was delayed three hours by rain.
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *