Rays star Ramirez quits baseball

Baseball: Manny Ramirez, a 12-times All-Star who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, has announced his retirement…

Baseball:Manny Ramirez, a 12-times All-Star who won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, has announced his retirement.

Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 for violating the league's drug policy and was recently informed by Major League Baseball that there was an issue relating to the policy.

"Rather than continue with the process under the program, Ramirez has informed MLB that he is retiring as an active player," the league said in a statement. "If Ramirez seeks reinstatement in the future, the process under the drug program will be completed."

The 38-year-old Ramirez, who was 1-for-17 with the Tampa Bay Rays this season, made his name with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox and had spells with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox toward the end of his career.

READ MORE

Ramirez, born in the Dominican Republic, missed Tampa Bay's game at Chicago on Thursday to attend to what the team said was a family matter.

He was selected by Cleveland in the first round of the 1991 draft and retires with a .312 batting average, 555 home runs and 1,831 RBIs.