UPDATE: Shortly after this story was originally published, Dominican MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported that A's outfielder Ramón Laureano won't play for Tigres del Licey any more this winter, due to COVID-19.
ORIGINAL STORY: Ramón Laureano is back in his native Dominican Republic for some winter ball action with powerhouse Tigres del Licey this offseason. According to El Nuevo Diario’s William Aish, Laureano was among a host of players in the league sidelined by COVID-19 on Monday.
When it comes to his MLB career, Laureano is in the midst of an 80-game suspension after testing positive for an anabolic steroid last August. He still needs to serve 27 more games when he returns in 2022, meaning the first game he’ll be eligible to return is April 30 against the Cleveland Guardians. That’s, of course, if the regular season starts on time – and ESPN recently reported there has been little to no movement at the negotiation table on the labor lockout.
The electric center fielder will be a key piece to Oakland’s defense and lineup once he returns. In 88 games last season, Laureano slashed .246/.317/.443 with 14 homers, 39 RBI and 12 stolen bases while flashing his usual impressive glovework. The A's announced he underwent successful core surgery on Sept. 30.
According to baseball-reference, Laureano is 1-for-5 with two RBIs, a walk and a strikeout in two games with Licey this winter. But from the videos I found on Twitter, it appears he has played in at least four games this offseason – on Dec. 17, Dec. 18, Dec. 28 and Dec. 29.
“It’s been four months without batting in a game,” Laureano said last week, via Diario Libre. “I am coming off an operation, but it’s a good place to get back on track.”
The Tigres are based in the Dominican capital and Laureano’s hometown of Santo Domingo, with a rich franchise history and 22 league titles since 1951. A’s minor league outfielder Luis Barrerra actually drove home the Tigres’ lone run on Wednesday night.
Laureano has already provided some highlights in his limited time with the Tigres this winter, especially on defense.
Judging from those videos, Laureano is moving around well and showing no effects from his surgery. But *gasp* someone ran on Ramón! José Siri tested out Laureano’s famed cannon and actually beat the throw.
Here’s a look at some offensive production from Laureano as well.
Hopefully the COVID setback is just a minor one for Laureano. The Dominican winter league provides a high level of competition to get himself some valuable game action as his MLB suspension hangs in the balance.
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