Boston Red Sox: Hanley Ramirez will play in Dominican Winter League

Boston Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez is heading to the Dominican Republic to participate in Winter League.

Hanley Ramirez is so eager to play baseball that he’s not waiting around for spring training. The Boston Red Sox first baseman is heading home to play for the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League.

Ramirez hinted as recently as David Ortiz‘s Celebrity Golf Classic earlier this month that he wanted to play Winter Ball to help him prepare for the World Baseball Classic. Now we know he’s already on his way.

A photo tweeted by Ramirez showing the veteran infielder packing his bags reveals his intention to join the Tigers for Winter Ball beginning on Monday, December 19. It’s unclear how many games he will play in the Dominican or how much time he’ll see in the field, but the photo clearly shows that he’s packing his first base mitt.

Despite the potential for injury, Ramirez feels that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Hurting his thumb in the WBC set him back to start the 2013 season, but Ramirez still went on to hit .345 with a 1.040 OPS for the Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing 8th in NL MVP voting despite playing in only 86 games. Perhaps there’s something to his theory that playing baseball in the winter months helps him prepare for the upcoming season better than spring training alone.

The Red Sox may still have some concerns about their 32-year old slugger making it through the winter with his health intact, but they certainly won’t mind if it leads to Ramirez tearing the cover off the ball in April.