Ramirez, who had previously signed a one-year deal in August with the Australian Baseball League's Sydney Blue Sox, was released by the club Monday.

EDGE Analysis

The Blue Sox cited "the uncertainty of the season and the ongoing medical issue" as the reason behind the decision to cut the 48-year-old Ramirez, who was expected to serve as a player-coach in 2021. Ramirez retired from MLB in 2011 shortly after receiving a 100-game ban for testing positive for a banned substance, but he's staged multiple comeback attempts over the past decade in smaller leagues around the globe.

Dominican Winter League club Aguilas Cibaenas released Ramirez on Wednesday, Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital reports.

EDGE Analysis

Since his time in affiliated ball ended in 2014, the 12-time MLB All-Star has staged multiple comebacks on multiple continents, never sticking around with any club for very long. Ramirez, 48, could still explore opportunities elsewhere around the globe as a player-coach, but his time as a regular player in professional baseball could be over.

Ramirez said Wednesday in an interview with Mark Buckton of The Taiwan Times that he hopes to resume his playing career in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. "My goal for 2020, is to find a roster spot in the CPBL," Ramirez says. "I have been itching to get back in the batter's box and be able to compete again."

EDGE Analysis

The 47-year-old Ramirez is nearly a decade removed from his last MLB action and hasn't played professional ball anywhere since 2017, but that apparently hasn't deterred him from making another comeback attempt. Ramirez has previous experience in the CPBL after spending part of the 2013 season with the EDA Rhinos, with whom he batted .352 with eight home runs and 43 RBI before leaving the club. Given his status as a former star in North America, Ramirez believes his return to Taiwan would give more exposure to the CPBL, the only baseball league in the world currently playing games amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ramirez was placed on the disabled list at Triple-A Iowa on Friday, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports. While Ramirez hasn't made it to the majors himself, he has mentored many of the team's younger stars on the way to the majors. He will likely continue to do so through the end of the year when he returns, as his major league career is probably over.

Cubs signed OF Manny Ramirez to a minor league contract. Ramirez will work out at the team's spring training complex for a while before reporting to Triple-A Iowa as a player-coach. The soon-to-be 42-year-old will not be considered for a promotion to the major league club with the Cubs, though he could be allowed to leave if he finds a big league gig elsewhere. "While Manny is not and will not be a fit on the Cubs major league roster, we do think at this stage of his life he's a nice fit as a mentor for some of the young talented hitters we have in the organization," president Theo Epstein said in a statement.

Zach Links of MLBTradeRumors.com reports that Manny Ramirez is receiving interest from "several" major league teams. There have been reports that he could catch on with an independent league team, but Links says Manny is only considering a minor league deal or signing with a Japanese club. Slated to turn 42 next month, Ramirez spent last year in China and briefly at Triple-A with the Rangers before being released.

Manny Ramirez told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal that he is still hoping to continue his playing career. Ramirez posted a weak .698 OPS in 30 games last season for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate and will turn 42 years old this May, but he is on a CrossFit program and claiming to be in vastly-improved physical shape. "Nobody is going to hit like when they were 25, 27 or 30 when they're 41 years old," Manny told Rosenthal. "I don't care how good you are. It's not going to happen. But you can contribute in other ways."

According to Zach Links of MLB Trade Rumors, Manny Ramirez has switched agents and is now represented by Alex Esteban of Miami Sports Management. Ramirez, previously represented by Barry Praver and Scott Shapiro, still has interest in continuing his playing career. He turns 42 years old in May and underwhelmed in 30 games with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate last year, so it's hard to envision an MLB team seeing him worth the hassle at this point.

Manny Ramirez's agent, Barry Praver, said Monday that his client still hopes to continue his playing career. Ramirez was released by the Rangers in August after batting just .259/.328/.370 with three home runs in 30 games at Triple-A Round Rock. Praver said he is staying in shape and open to opportunities in MLB and Japan. He turns 42 years old next May.

Rangers released DH Manny Ramirez. Manny was batting just .259/.328/.370 with three home runs in 30 games at Triple-A Round Rock and the Rangers saw no reason to keep stringing him along. The 41-year-old will presumably try to latch on with a new organization.