Red Sox sign former Rockies prospect, LG Twins first baseman Roberto Ramos to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent first baseman Roberto Ramos to a minor-league contract for the 2022 season, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The deal also includes an invite to major-league spring training.

Ramos, 27, was originally selected by the Rockies in the 16th round of the 2014 amateur draft out of the College of the Canyons (Santa Clarita, Calif.). He debuted for Low-A Tri-City that summer and made it as far as Triple-A Albuquerque in 2019.

In 127 games with the Isotopes, the left-handed hitter batted .309/.400/.580 (135 wRC+) with 27 doubles, 30 home runs, 105 RBIs, 77 runs scored, 61 walks, and 141 strikeouts across 503 plate appearances.

Shortly before the start of the 2020 campaign, Ramos had his contract with the Rockies purchased by the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization. The hulking 6-foot-3, 220 pounder did not wait long to make his impact felt overseas, as he slashed .278/.362/.592 (141 wRC+) with 38 homers and 86 RBIs over 117 games (494 plate appearances) in his first season with the Twins.

Last year, however, Ramos was limited to just 51 games due to a lower back injury. He managed all of eight home runs and 25 RBIs while posting a .739 OPS over that stretch before being released by LG in late June.

This off-season, Ramos returned to his home country of Mexico to suit up for Naranjeros de Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific Winter League, though the Hermosillo native only appeared in five games before being placed on the reserve list in November.

Ramos, who does not turn 28 until December, seems likely to begin the 2022 season with Triple-A Worcester. There, he should represent some intriguing first-base depth behind Triston Casas, although he does have limited experience at other positions like third base, left field, and right field.