This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Arlington, Texas • The Texas Rangers have signed Manny Ramirez to minor league contract.

Ramirez spent three months playing in Taiwan for the Rhinos before leaving the team on June 20. The Rangers made the announcement Wednesday.

Ramirez hit .352 with eight homers and 43 RBIs for the Rhinos. The team tried to keep the 12-time All-Star, but the 41-year-old slugger wanted to return to his family in New York.

Ramirez's last major league appearance was with Tampa Bay in 2011. He was suspended for 50 games in 2009 while with the Dodgers after testing positive for a banned drug. He retired in April 2011 instead of serving a 100-game ban for a second positive test, but later agreed to a reduced 50-game suspension and played in the minors for Oakland in 2012.

Ramirez is 14th on the career home runs list with 555.