Alexei Ramirez Faces Provisional Suspension After Positive Steroid Tests

Former Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who set a record as the oldest player to appear in the World Baseball Classic at age 44, faces a provisional suspension from baseball after testing positive for four anabolic steroids during the March tournament.

The International Testing Agency announced Wednesday that a sample collected from Ramirez while competing for Cuba contained metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone and stanozolol. All four substances appear on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list and are synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroids associated with promoting rapid muscle growth, increased strength and enhanced physical performance, the agency stated.

Ramirez played in one game for Cuba during pool play, going 0-for-1 with a strikeout in a 4-1 loss to Puerto Rico. Team Cuba failed to advance from the group stage. The 44-year-old Cuban native broke the previous WBC age record, previously held by Roger Clemens at 43 during the 2006 edition.

A nine-year Major League Baseball veteran, Ramirez spent most of his career with the White Sox after defecting from Cuba in 2007 and signing a four-year, $8 million contract. He debuted in 2008,...