After being notified of a drug violation by MLB, Manny Ramirez sent notice of his retirement to the league office on Friday, as reported The New York Times.
The Rays announced earlier this week that Ramirez had left the team to attend to a personal matter.
An announcement from the league office reads as follows:
“Major League Baseball recently notified Manny Ramirez of an issue under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Rather than continue with the process under the Program, Ramirez has informed MLB that he is retiring as an active player. If Ramirez seeks reinstatement in the future, the process under the Drug Program will be completed. MLB will not have any further comment on this matter.”
Ramirez, 38, was previously served a 50-game drug suspension in 2009, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
If Ramirez were to serve a suspension for this current violation, he would miss 100 games, the penalty for a second drug offense.
A lifetime ban from baseball is the penalty for a third drug-related offense.
Ramirez, a 12-time All-Star, retires as a career .312 hitter with 555 home runs and 1,831 RBI. This was the start of his 19th Major League season.
Ramirez split the bulk of career between the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox, playing eight seasons for each team.
Ramirez signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Tampa in January. He was batting .059 with one hit in five games.
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