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Cubs vs. White Sox The Chicago White Sox s Alexei Ramirez turns a double play overt the sliding Chicago Cubs Ryan Freel in the fifth inning. The White Sox defeated the Cubs, 6-0, at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, Sunday, June 28, 2009. Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/MCT CHICAGO IL USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx 1075249 JosexM.xOsoriox krtphotoslive364035
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Cubs vs. White Sox The Chicago White Sox s Alexei Ramirez turns a double play overt the sliding Chicago Cubs Ryan Freel in the fifth inning. The White Sox defeated the Cubs, 6-0, at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, Sunday, June 28, 2009. Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/MCT CHICAGO IL USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx 1075249 JosexM.xOsoriox krtphotoslive364035
The oldest player in WBC history just became the oldest player in WBC history to have tested positive for banned substances.
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The 44-year-old slugger represented Cuba in the 2026 event and was also an Olympic champion at the 2004 Athens Games. He was also on the silver medal-winning team at the WBC in 2006, won by Japan. While MLB had left the steroid era behind by the early 2000s, a veteran player testing positive again, especially in an elite tournament like the WBC, proves there’s more work to be done.
“Alexei Ramirez tested positive for four anabolic steroids at the World Baseball Classic. The 44-year-old set the record for the oldest player in WBC history,” Talkin’ Baseball shared via X.
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According to the International Testing Agency (ITA), Ramírez’s sample was taken during the 2026 WBC. Banned substances like mesterolone, methandienone, oxandrolone, and stanozolol have been found. They are all classified under section S1.1 (Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) of the 2026 Prohibited List by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
These are “prohibited at all times, both in and out of competition, and are considered non-specified substances,” ITA further added in their official statement.
Reportedly, the substances found in Ramírez’s sample help in building muscle mass and strength. The fact that four different steroids were found at the same time suggests he was using them continuously.
Alexei Ramirez tested positive for four anabolic steroids at the World Baseball Classic
The 44 year old set the record for oldest player in WBC history pic.twitter.com/U8oEeYtLp7
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 29, 2026
According to Article 7.4.1 of the WBSC anti-doping rule, any athlete found with these substances will be subjected to a mandatory provisional suspension, even though the athlete could still appeal.
Ramírez can appeal and request another sample to be tested. If the second test also comes back positive, he will receive a four-year ban from baseball. That means he wouldn’t be allowed to play again until he is 48.
While Ramírez represented Cuba in the last WBC, going 0-for-1 with one strikeout against a 4-1 loss to Puerto Rico, the doping charges against him mean a great deal for MLB, too.
He played in MLB for nine years, mostly with the Chicago White Sox (8 seasons), and the rest with the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays. He made his MLB debut in 2008 with the White Sox and was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award. In the next few years, the shortstop went on to win an All-Star selection (2014) and 2x Silver Slugger awards (2010 & 2014), both at Chicago.
He left the majors after 2016 and joined the Mexican League (Liga Mexicana de Béisbol) in 2018, playing for the Diablos Rojos del México. In 2024, he resumed his professional baseball career to play in the Cuban National Series for his original team, Vegueros de Pinar del Río.
Now, Alexei Ramírez’s doping charges are renewing the debate around the usage of banned substances in MLB.
Alexei Ramírez’s charges prove an uneasy truth in baseball
Doping charges against baseball veterans like Alexei Ramírez proved how baseball is still far away from being free from any banned substances. And we can’t help but recall the 2025 event with Jurickson Profar.
The Braves outfielder was suspended for 80 games last year following a positive test for Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), a performance-enhancing substance. He tested positive again later, resulting in a 162-game suspension in MLB.
The Philadelphia Phillies have also been hit hard.
In 2026, Max Kepler received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Epitrenbolone. Then, in March, Johan Rojas was suspended for the first 80 games of the 2026 season after a positive test for Boldenone.
Given the repeated instances, the main question that arises is why the players are risking their careers.
The answer lies in MLB’s guaranteed contracts.
Major League Baseball contracts are fully guaranteed. When a player is suspended for drugs, they lose their pay for those specific games. However, they do not lose the rest of the money on their contract. Some players might be using steroids, and putting up some insane figures means they are fetching big contracts before testing positive.
But Ramírez was not in any MLB contracts. Still, the charges proved that baseball has a long way to go to eradicate this menace.
Written by
Edited by
Arunaditya Aima