To make room for Ramirez on their roster, the Dodgers placed infielder Nomar Garciaparra on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to last Monday because of a sprained ligament in his left knee. Ramirez and Garciaparra were teammates in Boston from 2001-04.

They exchanged greetings in the clubhouse.

“It was good to see him,” Garciaparra said. “I told him we’d catch up later.”

Regarding the need for Ramirez to leave Boston, Garciaparra said: “You have to separate the desire to get out of Boston and the desire to get out of the situation.”

Ramirez asked to be traded several times in recent years. The Red Sox will pay the estimated $7 million owed to Ramirez through the end of the season, at which time he can become a free agent. Ramirez was in the final guaranteed year of his contract, and the Red Sox held $20 million options for the next two seasons. Those were eliminated with the trade.

“Anything is possible now,” Ramirez said, when asked if he hoped to finish his career with the Dodgers. “I’m just going to play hard. We’ll see what happens.”

Boras said what happens beyond this season hasn’t been discussed.

“Our entire focus, believe me, was resolving the situation,” the agent said.

Among active players, Ramirez ranks third in RBIs (1,672), fifth in home runs (510), sixth in on-base percentage (.409) and seventh in batting average (.312). He also ranks eighth in baseball history, and second among active players behind only Albert Pujols (.620), with a .590 slugging percentage. His 2,318 hits rank 10th among active players and his 493 doubles are tied for fourth.

Ramirez was MVP of the 2004 World Series, when the Red Sox became champions for the first time in 86 years, and played a key role in another World Series triumph last year.

“He’ll make a difference in any lineup,” Garciaparra said. “The best lineups in baseball, he’ll have an impact.”

Ramirez homered on the first pitch he saw in his first home game with the Red Sox on April 6, 2001. In his first plate appearance as a Dodger, he also connected with the first pitch — but grounded out to shortstop leading off the second inning.

Before he got to the plate, the video crew welcomed him with a montage of highlight footage from his days with the Indians and Red Sox. The crowd chanted his first name in unison and flashbulbs popped all around the ballpark.

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