Alexei Ramírez tests positive for steroids at World Baseball Classic
Chicago Tribune • • sports
Key Points:
- Former Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramírez tested positive for four anabolic steroids during the World Baseball Classic in March, leading to a provisional ban by the International Testing Agency (ITA).
- The 44-year-old Cuban athlete tested positive for metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone, and stanozolol, substances known to promote rapid muscle growth and enhanced performance.
- Ramírez, who set the record as the oldest player in WBC history, played nine years in Major League Baseball and was an All-Star in 2014 with a career batting average of .246.
- An Olympic champion with Cuba in 2004 and a silver medalist at the 2006 WBC, Ramírez returned to the Cuban roster after 20 years to break the oldest player record previously held by Roger Clemens.
- The ITA confirmed the positive test came from a sample taken during the tournament, where Cuba did not advance past the pool phase.
