At 44, Alexei Ramirez was the oldest player to compete at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The infielder, who spent nine seasons in Major League Baseball, competed for his native Cuba at the WBC. He got into one pool-play game and struck out in his only at-bat.
What certainly looked like the end of the road for Ramirez on the surface became a certainty April 29, when the International Testing Agency announced he tested positive for four banned substances at the WBC.
“The ITA reports that a sample collected from Alexei Ramirez Rodriguez, a baseball player representing Cuba during the 2026 World Baseball Classic has returned an AAF¹ for metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone and stanozolol,” the announcement read.
MORE: Mike Trout, Tiger Woods announcement polarizes fans
“A mandatory provisional suspension has been imposed on the athlete,” the ITA announced. “The athlete has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting.”
Ramirez played for the Chicago White sox (2008-15), San Diego Padres (2016), Tampa Bay Rays (2016) and won two Silver Slugger Awards at shortstop.
Before coming to MLB, Ramirez played seven seasons in Cuba’s top professional league. He represented his homeland at the 2007 WBC, then returned 20 years later to break the all-time record as the oldest player ever to compete in the tournament.
MORE: Angels announce tragic death of 2002 World Series champion at 53
Ramirez retired with 1,387 career hits, 115 home runs, 143 stolen bases and a career .270/.307/.392 slash line.
The stakes of his suspension seem low relative to Ramirez’s career outlook. He barely played at the 2026 WBC, was unlikely to play in the next WBC given his age, and last played professionally in Mexico in 2018, according to Baseball Reference.
Arguably the biggest consequence of the announcement concerns Ramirez’s health. Does his use of steroids surrounding the tournament reflect more broadly on his current well-being, or was it a one-off, longshot choice he made in connection with playing baseball one more time?
Either way, it’s an all-too-poignant reminder of how much drug testing in MLB has changed since Ramirez made his debut a generation ago.