The agent for former Boston Red Sox slugger Hanley Ramirez said his client “has no knowledge of any of the allegations” contained in a media report Friday that links him to a criminal investigation.

The Red Sox also deny any knowledge of an investigation involving Ramirez, who was released by the team a month ago.

Ramirez is “being eyed in connection with an ongoing federal and state investigation” in Massachusetts, according to a tweet Friday from ABC News reporter Michele McPhee.

McPhee said the investigation may involve a man from whom police seized “435 grams of fentanyl as well as a large amount of crack cocaine” during a traffic stop. The suspect in the police stop alleges to know Ramirez, she said, but Ramirez was not with him in the car.

“There is a sweeping federal case involving a substantial ring that’s being operated out of Lawrence, Massachusetts,” McPhee told Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub. “And I think the suspect had ties to that ring.”

The traffic stop cited by McPhee matches information in a June 8 press release from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office regarding the arrest and arraignment of a Lawrence man, radio station WEEI reported. Delcio Rodriguez, 29, pleaded not guilty in Lawrence District Court to two charges of drug trafficking after police said he was in possession of 435 grams of fentanyl and seven grams of crack during a traffic stop in nearby Methuen, Massachusetts.

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“During that car stop, the suspect claimed that one of the items found in the vehicle belonged to Hanley Ramirez and then FaceTimed (Ramirez) in front of police,” McPhee told The Sports Hub.

Ramirez was designated for assignment in a surprising move by the Red Sox on May 25, given that he had started 44 of Boston’s first 50 games and typically batted No. 3 in the lineup. However, he was hitless in his final 21 at-bats.

Ramirez has been a free agent since June 1 and has yet to sign with a new club despite reported interest from multiple teams.

“Hanley was designated for assignment for baseball reasons,” Red Sox spokesperson Kevin Gregg told the Boston Herald on Friday night. “We were and are unaware of any investigations involving Hanley.”

Ramirez’s longtime agent, Adam Katz, said his client is also unaware of being the focus of any criminal investigation.

“Hanley has no knowledge of any of the allegations contained in this media report, and he is not aware of any investigation,” Katz told the Herald’s Michael Silverman in a text.

Red Sox Manager Alex Cora echoed that the decision to release Ramirez was made for baseball reasons.

As for the report, Cora said, “I hope it’s not true.”

Ramirez has been active on social media since his release, posting images and videos of himself in his native Dominican Republic.


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