Rafael Palmeiro, 50, signs with Skeeters to play with son

Rafael Palmeiro is returning to baseball to play with his son.

The 50-year-old former major league All-Star signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League for the final three games of the season this weekend.

Palmeiro last played in 2005 with the Baltimore Orioles before his career was derailed by a 10-day suspension for a positive steroids tests after he testified at a Congressional hearing that he never used performance-enhancing drugs.

Palmeiro finished with 569 home runs, 1,835 RBIs and a .288 batting average -- Hall of Fame-worthy numbers -- but he was dropped from the ballot last year after never receiving more than 12.6 percent in the voting.

"We discussed me playing earlier this year and it's something I've looked forward to since then," Palmeiro said. "The chance to play with my son is an opportunity the Skeeters have offered me and I'm very excited to make it happen this weekend."

Patrick Palmeiro, 25, was with the Chicago White Sox organization from 2012 until his release last year after playing college ball at Alabama-Birmingham. He is batting .248 with 11 home runs this year as the Skeeters' third baseman.

The Skeeters, managed by former major league Gary Gaetti, also gave Roger Clemens a chance at age 50 a few years ago to play with his son Koby. Earlier this year, former Houston Rockies player Tracy McGrady spent a brief time with the team as a pitcher.