Manny Ramirez eyes return to baseball in Taiwan

Former Red Sox superstar Manny Ramirez is eyeing a return to the diamond.

Ramirez misses playing baseball and is looking to return to the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, the slugger told the Taiwan Times. Ramirez, who turns 48 in May, last appeared in the CPBL in 2013, when he suited up for 49 games and hit .352, knocked eight homers and drove in 43 runs for the league's EDA Rhinos.

The CPBL is the first major professional baseball league to return to action amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The league resumed play on April 11 but is playing without fans in the stands as a precaution.

Ramirez, a 12-time All-Star in the Major Leagues, last played on American soil for the Rays in 2011. He finished his 19-year big league career with 555 homers and 1,831 RBIs, and he captured the 2004 World Series MVP Award as he helped the Red Sox claim their first championship in 86 years. He was suspended for 50 games in 2009 after testing positive for a banned substance, and he retired from MLB two years later after testing positive for elevated testosterone.