With Manny being Manny, minor league baseball officials acted fast.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram is reporting that 41-year-old Manny Ramirez already has taken a random drug test as a member of the Triple-A Round Rock Express, just more than a week after he signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.
A source told the newspaper Thursday that players not on the 40-man roster were subjected to a drug test earlier this week. Ramirez was part of the group tested.
Ramirez retired from Major League Baseball in April of 2011 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug during spring training. It was his second positive test, resulting in a 100-game suspension. Ramirez chose to leave the game, rather than serve the suspension.
He returned to play in Taiwan this year before signing with Rangers on July 3.
The parent organization should find out quickly whether Ramirez's latest stint has been drug-aided.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels refused to comment to the Star-Telegram on the timing of Ramirez's drug test at Round Rock but told the newspaper that he's received reports from the minor league club that Ramirez has been a model citizen.
"The reports have all been very positive," Daniels said. "The guys say he's been in the cage early and often, and generally has been a good influence."
Ramirez had three hits in 12 at-bats with Round Rock and homered with three runs batted in during a game Tuesday.
He has no guarantees of a promotion to the Rangers, Daniels said.
"I don't have high expectations, and I don't have low expectations," Daniels told the newspaper. "It's truly a situation where we didn't have anything to lose by taking him. There's a chance he makes a contribution, but we're taking it day by day. It'll be a few weeks before we know if he'll be able to contribute."
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