Has Rafael Palmeiro lost his mind?

This is almost too ridiculous to write, but it’s a slow news day, so here goes.

Former Rangers slugger Rafael Palmeiro, who left the game amid a performance enhancing drug scandal in 2005, told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that he’s considering a comeback.

Palmeiro is 53. The oldest position player in the majors in 2017 was Ichiro Suzuki at 43. Pitcher Bartolo Colon is also 43.

“There’s no doubt in my mind I can do it,” Palmeiro said in The Athletic. “I’ve taken care of myself really well. I’ve been working out for years. Everything feels better than when I played.”

Regardless of what you think of him and the PED mess, he’s one of only five players to collect 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. But regardless of how good a hitter he was, that was 13 years ago.

Only Julio Franco played regularly in the majors at an older age. Franco turned 49 in August in 2007, his final season in the league.

Why would Palmeiro be interested in this outlandish idea? For one, he’d reset his Hall of Fame eligibility, which expired in 2014.

Palmeiro famously denied ever taking steroids during a congressional hearing early in 2005 but later tested positive and was suspended by the league.

He played 10 seasons for the Rangers, from 1989-93 and 1999-’03.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Has Rafael Palmeiro lost his mind?."