Vázquez became a minor league free agent after the 2006 season, and on November 17, 2006, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Midseason injuries to Rangers third basemanHank Blalock and second basemanIan Kinsler forced Vázquez into an everyday role for the first time since the 2003 season.
On August 22, 2007, Vazquez had seven RBI with two homers in a record-setting 30–3 win over the Baltimore Orioles.[1]
On May 12, 2008, against his former team, the Seattle Mariners, Vázquez hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning off Brandon Morrow.
On July 29, 2008, Vázquez victimized the Mariners again with last at-bat heroics. After his third error of the game allowed the Mariners to take a 10–9 lead in the top of the 9th, Vázquez doubled to right-center field off Mariners closerJ. J. Putz, just out of Ichiro's reach, to drive in 2 runs as the Rangers won the game 11–10.
On December 12, 2008, Vázquez signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ramón also participated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, representing Puerto Rico, where he played third base.[2]
On April 4, 2010, in a last-minute roster move, Vazquez was designated for assignment by the Pirates, and was released four days later. Vazquez signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on April 16, 2010. He was later released on June 16, 2010. He signed on to play with the Houston AstrosTriple-A affiliate Round Rock Express on June 24, 2010.
After signing a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals for 2011, he was released on June 1.[3] He signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on June 19.[4] He was released on July 22.[5] On August 15, he signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins.[6]
Managing and coaching career
After retiring as an active player, Vázquez was recruited as a minor league instructor by the Houston Astros. During the 2014 season, he served as the hitting coach of the Rookie-class Gulf Coast League Astros.[7] The following season, Vázquez served as an infield development specialist for the Lancaster JetHawks in the Class A-AdvancedCalifornia League.[8]
On November 19, 2015, Vázquez was named interim manager of the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rican Winter League), replacing Pedro López in the office.[9] Despite being the defending champions, the team had stalled and was last in the standings with a record of 4–10 when he took charge of it.[10] Under Vázquez, the Cangrejeros made a comeback and were able to classify to the postseason in second place, guaranteeing him the office for the rest of the season.[11][12][13] There, the team was paired against the Criollos de Caguas in the semifinals, winning a series of close games to advance.[14] In the finals, Vázquez managed the team to its second consecutive championship, defeating the Indios de Mayagüez despite falling behind early in the series. Ultimately, Santurce managed to clinch the series by picking up the first visitor win of the series, allowing them to play a decisive outing in their home field, the Hiram Bithorn Stadium.[15]
In 2016, Vázquez returned to the Lancaster JetHawks as their manager for their 20th anniversary season. In 2017, he joined the San Diego Padres as a coach, working primarily with infielders.[16]
In 2018, Vázquez joined the Boston Red Sox as a uniformed member of the coaching staff, under manager Alex Cora. During their playing days, Vázquez and Cora had been traded for each other in 2005.[17] Through the 2020 season, Vázquez coordinated statistical analysis and advanced scouting data.[16] On November 20, 2020, his role was updated to that of quality control coach / interpreter.[18] In the first half of August 2021, Vázquez filled in as Boston's first base coach for several games, following the quarantining of regular first base coach Tom Goodwin, who was deemed to be a close contact with bench coach Will Venable after the latter had a positive COVID-19 test.[19] On August 30, Vázquez himself tested positive.[20] Near the end of September, Vázquez took over as Boston's first base coach in preparation for the playoffs, as MLB mandated that only COVID-vaccinated staff would be allowed in dugouts and on the field during the 2021 postseason, and Boston's regular first base coach (Goodwin) was not in compliance.[21]
In December 2021, Vázquez was named the first base coach of the Red Sox.[22] On November 29, 2022, Vazquez was named the bench coach of the Red Sox.[23]
