NEW YORK — Unwilling to face another drug ban, Manny Ramirez is leaving baseball and is at peace with his decision while the sport confronts the specter of steroids again.

One of the game’s great sluggers, Ramirez tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and wasted little time in saying he was done with the game.

He retired Friday rather than face a 100-game suspension for a second violation of Major League Baseball’s drug policy. The 12-time All-Star served a 50-game ban in 2009 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Second-time offenders get double that penalty.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed that Ramirez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the nature of Ramirez’s issue with MLB’s drug policy was not publicly disclosed.

Rays vice president Andrew Friedman, who signed Ramirez to a $2 million, one-year contract in the offseason, said the club was “obviously surprised” when it learned what happened and was “hurt by what transpired.”