Rafael Palmeiro signs pro contract to play with son

Former Mississippi State great Rafael Palmeiro returned to professional baseball on Thursday.

Palmeiro signed a three-day contract with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League to play along side his oldest son, Patrick.

"We discussed me playing earlier this year and it's something I've looked forward to since then," Palmeiro said in a release. "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."

Palmeiro is one of Mississippi State baseball's greatest players. He still holds program records career home runs (67) and single season total bases (209) and runs scored (87). His .372 career batting average with MSU ranks third all-time.

The former Mississippi State slugger played 20 major league seasons with the Cubs, Orioles and Rangers. He's one of five players in history to hit 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. He dropped off the baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2014 when he received less than five percent of the vote. He tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2005.

Palmeiro's son, Patrick, is second on the Skeeters with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs.

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.