DETROIT — Manny Ramirez is headed for the Dominican Republic to restart a baseball career that could continue in Japan, The Post has learned.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, three Japanese teams want to see the 40-year-old Ramirez play in games for Las Aguilas in order to gauge if he is worth signing.
The mercurial former Red Sox star is slated to leave Florida tomorrow and travel to his native Dominican, where the winter league is under way.
A product of Manhattan’s George Washington High School, Ramirez was one of the most feared right-handed hitters in baseball and hit 555 homers, which is 14th on the all-time list.
From 1998 to 2008, Ramirez averaged 38 homers and 123 RBIs.
Suspended twice by MLB after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Ramirez attempted a comeback with the A’s this past season. His latest suspension ended May 30 while he was in the minors.
In 17 games for Triple-A Sacramento, Ramirez batted .302 (19-for-63) with zero homers and 14 RBIs. With no room on the A’s big league roster, Ramirez asked for a release in mid-June.
Ramirez played for the Indians, who drafted him in the first round of the 1991 draft, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays.