SYDNEY – Manny Ramirez was released by the Sydney Blue Sox in uncertainty over the Australian Baseball League season during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a medical problem that prevents him from playing or training with the club.
Blue Sox chief executive Adam Dobb issued a statement Monday announcing the decision, saying “it was extremely disappointing to remove the 48-year-old former Boston Red Sox player and 12-time All-Star from the Major Leagues, but we owe it to our fans and other teams to make a decision now. “
“The level of investment to bring it here meant that this was never a public relations trick,” Cobb said. “It was never our intention to NOT participate in the ABL this season.”
Ramirez did not make an appearance with the Blue Sox, who played just two games, on Dec. 17 and 18, before a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney and subsequent border and travel restrictions prevented the club from competing.
Cobb said he could not comment further on Ramirez or the undisclosed medical condition, adding that the club was “doing everything possible to reactivate it”.
Ramirez, who was the Most Valuable Player in the World Series when the Red Sox broke their 86-year drought in 2004, had played in the U.S. minor leagues, as well as in China and Japan, since who finished his career in the Major Leagues.