Hanley Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox are denying any knowledge of a reported investigation involving the slugger, while MLB has no comment on the report.
Reporter Michelle McPhee teased some “issues” Ramirez was facing regarding an ongoing federal and state investigation.
“Obviously, I know absolutely nothing about sports or Hanley Ramirez’s stats, but what I do know is crime,” McPhee said on The Sports Hub in Boston Friday. “And there has been some reports about a FaceTime phone call that was made between a man at a car stop. After that car stop, police recovered a significant amount of drugs. And during that car stop, the suspect claimed that one of the items found in the vehicle belonged to Hanley Ramirez and then FaceTimed him in front of police. And that car stop coordinated with the timing of his release from the Red Sox.”
McPhee said the person who was pulled over — not Ramirez — was found with “435 grams of fentanyl and crack cocaine.”
“There is a sweeping federal case involving a substantial ring that’s being operated out of Lawrence, Massachusetts,” McPhee said. “And I think the suspect had ties to that ring.”
For those doubting the credibility of McPhee, keep in mind that she was often ahead of the curve with the Aaron Hernandez investigation.
#HanleyRamirez, former @RedSox infielder, has some.. well, issues. Being eyed in connection with an ongoing federal and state investigation. Stay tuned.
— Michele McPhee (@MicheleMcPhee) June 22, 2018
Ramirez was released by the Red Sox on May 25 in a move that caught many by surprise. Although Ramirez was slumping, he had started out the season hot and nobody saw his release coming.
Red Sox VP of Media Relations Kevin Gregg said the team was unaware of any investigation regarding Ramirez.
Red Sox VP of media relations Kevin Gregg says that the Red Sox are unaware of any investigation involving Hanley Ramirez. Another ML source familiar with the team's thinking seconded that, and reiterated that the decision to release him was "a baseball decision."
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) June 22, 2018
Ramirez’s agent also said Hanley denied knowledge of the allegations or investigation.
Hanley Ramirez’s agent, Adam Katz: “Hanley has no knowledge of any of the allegations contained in this media report and he is not aware of any investigation.” https://t.co/RaKBJdRlK9
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 22, 2018
MLB offered no comment.
Major League Baseball has no comment on the Hanley Ramirez report.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 22, 2018
What’s interesting is that at the time of his release, the Red Sox emphasized that Ramirez was released for “baseball reasons.” While there was suspicion that this was done to avoid a grievance, there is now additional reason to wonder about the specific choice of language.
Although Ramirez remains a free agent, there was talk of the Orioles having interest in him. The 34-year-old former three-time All-Star was batting .254/.313/.395 this season. He is owed around $14 million by Boston for the rest of the season.
