GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Free-agent first baseman Hanley Ramirez, who was released last May by the Boston Red Sox, agreed to sign a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians.
Ramirez, a former National League Rookie of the Year, will sign with the three-time defending AL Central champions and join them in camp once he passes a physical.
Ramirez, 35, played in just 44 games last season with Boston. He hit .254 with six home runs and 29 RBI for the Red Sox and didn’t sign with another team.
“Good for him,” Red Sox Manager Alex Cora said Sunday.
“He’s an everyday player. If he gets at-bats, he might be able to produce. He’s still young enough (at 35).”
A three-time All-Star, Ramirez is a .290 career hitter with 296 home runs. He might be able to bring some pop to Cleveland’s lineup, which needs power following the trades of Edwin Encarnacion and first baseman Yonder Alonso, and after outfielder Michael Brantley signed with Houston.
RED SOX: Jackie Bradley Jr. homered in his first at-bat of the spring, and Michael Chavis hit a three-run homer for the second straight day as Boston beat Minnesota 8-5 at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida.
Max Kepler hit two solo home runs for Minnesota.
BLUE JAYS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the No. 1 prospect in baseball at age 19, had an RBI single and scored for Toronto in a 9-8 loss to Baltimore at Port Charlotte, Florida.
YANKEES: Luke Voit had a three-run homer and an RBI single for New York in an 8-5 win over Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, Florida.
ASTROS: Josh Reddick doubled and scored for Houston’s split squad in a 5-2 victory over Atlanta at West Palm Beach, Florida.
CARDINALS: Paul Goldschmidt was hitless in two at-bats in his first game for St. Louis, a 12-2 loss to Washington at Jupiter, Florida.
TIGERS: Miguel Cabrera singled and walked in his first action since tearing his biceps, in a 10-2 loss to Philadelphia at Lakeland, Florida.
GIANTS: Madison Bumgarner pitched a perfect first inning, then failed to retire any of the six batters he faced in the second in a 9-5 loss to the Cubs at Scottsdale, Arizona.
ROYALS: Chris Owings hit a solo home run and Cheslor Cuthbert added a two-run single for Kansas City in a 14-4 win over Oakland at Mesa, Arizona.
MARLINS: Outfield prospect Victor Victor Mesa strained his right hamstring in a spring-training game against Pittsburgh.
DIAMONDBACKS: Wilmer Flores had two singles, scoring twice and driving in a run for Arizona in a 12-2 win over Cleveland at Goodyear, Arizona.
MARINERS: Ichiro Suzuki walked, stole a base and scored, and Jay Bruce went 0 for 2 in his debut for Seattle in a 4-2 victory over Colorado at Scottsdale, Arizona.
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