{"id":502201,"date":"2026-01-02T00:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T00:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/502201\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T00:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T00:42:15","slug":"alexei-ramirez-is-back-the-former-white-sox-shortstop-isnt-done-playing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/502201\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexei Ram\u00edrez Is Back \u2014 The Former White Sox Shortstop Isn\u2019t Done Playing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alexei Ram\u00edrez, the former All-Star shortstop and beloved Chicago White Sox<\/a> fan favorite, appears to be reviving his playing career at 44 years old.<\/p>\n

Yes \u2014 you read that correctly.<\/p>\n

Despite not appearing in a Major League Baseball game in nearly a decade \u2014 the last time he took the field in a big-league uniform was October 2, 2016, with the Tampa Bay Rays, when he went 4-for-5 with an RBI \u2014 Alexei Ram\u00edrez is about to step back onto baseball\u2019s brightest international stage.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez has been named to Team Cuba\u2019s preliminary roster for the World Baseball Classic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a full-circle moment for the Cuban shortstop. Ram\u00edrez also represented his country in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, when he was just 24 years old \u2014 long before he ever arrived on the South Side of Chicago. That was before the iconic rookie-season grand slam that helped push the White Sox into a Game 163 playoff against the Minnesota Twins, before his two Silver Slugger Awards at shortstop, and before he earned the unforgettable nickname \u201cThe Cuban Missile.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet, here he is \u2014 nearly 20 years later.<\/p>\n

For White Sox fans, Ram\u00edrez\u2019s return will be one of the most compelling storylines of March. It\u2019s not every day a franchise icon resurfaces on an international stage against some of the best players in the world.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

On Team Cuba\u2019s initial roster, Ram\u00edrez is joined by several notable names, including former White Sox third baseman Yo\u00e1n Moncada<\/a> (currently a free agent), Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages, Detroit Tigers infielder Andy Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez, and Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Yariel Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n

White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr.<\/a> has declined invitations to play for Team Cuba in the past, but there is still hope he could eventually join the roster before the tournament begins.<\/p>\n

Two other veterans \u2014 Paolo Espino (Panama) and Shairon Martis \u2014 are also set to return after having previously participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, making this event a rare 20-year reunion for multiple players.<\/p>\n

Following the massive success of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, interest in the tournament is higher than ever. For baseball diehards, the WBC will serve as an early preview of the 2026 MLB season, effectively shortening the offseason and ramping up anticipation across the sport.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

And for White Sox fans in particular, March will be appointment viewing. Incoming rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami<\/a> is expected to suit up for Team Japan, offering an early glimpse of Chicago\u2019s newest star before his MLB debut.<\/p>\n

Add Alexei Ram\u00edrez to that list \u2014 and suddenly, the 2026 World Baseball Classic becomes must-see TV on the South Side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alexei Ram\u00edrez, the former All-Star shortstop and beloved Chicago White Sox fan favorite, appears to be reviving his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":502202,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2379],"tags":[15835,3806,1384,5,138,49,2561,53,66688,57,999,19,60,4,66689,68,70,396,2562,4820,3511],"class_list":["post-502201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-white-sox","tag-alexei-ramirez","tag-andy-ibanez","tag-andy-pages","tag-baseball","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-chicagowhitesox","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-international-stage","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-luis-robert-jr","tag-major-league-baseball","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-paolo-espino","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-white-sox","tag-whitesox","tag-world-baseball-classic","tag-yoan-moncada"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115822732702213760","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}