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In just a few days, Manny Ramirez will return from his 50-game suspension and rejoin his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates. The days when he had to fill his life with something other than playing baseball will soon be behind him.

It's not entirely clear how Ramirez has occupied himself since his punishment was first announced on May 7. What we do know is that Ramirez addressed his teammates at a Miami hotel a week after his suspension, went on to work out mostly on his own -- often in Los Angeles, at Dodger Stadium -- then joined two of the Dodgers' minor league affiliates in the past week, playing in games.

Ramirez is done with the minor leagues, is nearly done with his suspension and is about to rejoin his division-leading team as one of only a few high-profile players who have been in this position. Braves prospect Jordan Schafer was a minor leaguer when he was suspended 50 games after being connected to HGH in 2008; Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron was suspended for 25 games last year for stimulant use; and Phillies reliever J.C. Romero took a 50-game hit this year for taking what he says was a contaminated supplement. Along with Ramirez, they are the highest-profile players to be punished under baseball's current system.

The four players were at different stages of their careers and were suspended for different reasons. But all of them had to step away from the game, and little has been understood about just how they spent their time.

Jordan Schafer: "They were going to know me for making a mistake"

Schafer, who declined to be interviewed for this story, recently told ESPN The Magazine that he went back to his parents' house and hit in a $90,000 batting cage in the backyard to bide his time. Known as an arrogant hotshot before the suspension, Schafer got a dose of humility, he told the magazine.

"I've spent my whole life working toward one goal. You picture it in your mind constantly when you're a kid, and that's not exactly how it's supposed to go down, you know? Suspended and back at your parents' house while everyone else is playing. It gives you a lot of time to reflect on who you are and what you've done.

"I never had a Plan B. Baseball was it. That's all anyone had ever known me for. Now I was outside looking in, and they were going to know me for making a mistake. It absolutely tore me up."

When Schafer made his debut in the big leagues on Opening Day in Philadelphia, Romero was there, too, picking up his 2008 World Series ring in a pregame ceremony. But unlike Schafer, Romero left the ballpark before the game started, went back to his hotel and had dinner with his wife. It can be a lonely existence for those who are suspended.

Schafer is now back in Triple-A. He is just 22 years old and -- unlike Cameron and Romero, who have played a combined 25-plus years in the big leagues -- is still trying to fuse his identity as a ballplayer and get back to the big leagues.

Mike Cameron: "I didn't know how to approach coming back"

Cameron, who spoke to ESPN.com last year about his suspension, was interviewed again recently in Detroit. Both the 36-year-old and Romero share their experiences, in their own words, on what life was like during their suspensions and what they learned about the experience, one only they and a few others truly know.

"I went home to Atlanta for a week and was able to do things around the house, like taking the tarp off the pool, cleaning out the garage, fixing my kids' bikes. I was busy because I was going to baseball practice and softball games for my kids.

"I felt uncomfortable once the games started; that was strange. Your body, your mindset changes when you're home in April. My mind is in baseball mode. It's not as comfortable as it would be when I'm [home] in the offseason. During the season, your mind is constantly going. I couldn't sit still. Around 2 o'clock -- when I should be going to the park -- I started feeling hurried. And I was like, I got no reason, I got nowhere to go.

"I went to extended spring training in Arizona, and I tried to make it fun for the younger kids there, who were 16 years younger than me. It was tough having to get up at 5:30 a.m. and have a game at 10 o'clock in the morning. Sundays were off days, and I played golf. My sole purpose down there was to just stay ready and to not get hurt. It was kind of like a countdown -- how many more days? Going to Triple-A, I wondered how it was possible that I was back there, in Omaha, Nebraska, where I had been years earlier as a minor leaguer. I went to the ballpark and didn't have my own uniform, it's what I'm accustomed to. You forget about little things like that, but it keeps you humble.

"I didn't know how to approach coming back. What type of role should I take? I can't really ease into it, and I hadn't seen big league pitching for a while. I watched baseball, I'm still a fan of the game. I would text some of my teammates sometimes because I know what it's like when you struggle mentally. I was nervous as hell when I had to play in Triple-A, because I knew I was close to getting back into the heat of the battle, and getting mentally ready for that. The fear of failure kicks in again. The fear of failure and fear of embarrassment always keeps you in a different mindset.

"I haven't really thought about the suspension since last year. I think the [other players'] suspensions are all a little bit different, but they are all serious. Some fans don't know the difference, that I wasn't [suspended for steroids]. I still hear dumb, stupid stuff. Fans saying, 'Did you finally get off the juice?'

"Because you make a mistake or you do something you regret, that doesn't make you a bad person. But all things that you would involve yourself with, you try to learn from it. And some of the consequences are much greater than others. I just tried to learn from my situation. I hope Manny gets a chance to kind of get forgiveness. I think we all say that we're not really role models, that our parents are our true role models. People do look up to us. I look at it as not for the kids in the stands but for the kids that are closest to me, my nieces and nephews and cousins. The people that I represent in my family, the name they bear for my family, I've always tried to take that aspect in my life seriously.

"It's tough not being able to play when you feel perfectly healthy. It was like someone took my hands and tied them behind my back and covered my eyes up. It killed me; it kind of crushed me a little bit. It sucks to take away something that's so close to you.

"For Manny, I just think he's so into focusing on what he does so well, and him being in L.A., I think he'll be fine. He's still, no matter whatever you say, the guy's a good baseball player. And stuff like this will humble you to the max; it makes you feel like this can happen to anybody if you allow those mistakes to happen.

J.C. Romero: "We are the product of our mistakes"

Romero says he took a tainted supplement, 6-OXO. He is suing the company -- owned by chemist Patrick Arnold, who invented BALCO designer drug THG -- for, among other things, negligence and consumer fraud. In just the past week, a fan filed a complaint with the St. Petersburg (Fla.) police department against Romero, saying the player hit him in the face. The fan said he taunted Romero about his steroid use and Romero became enraged. The complaint has been sent to the state attorney's office, which will decide whether to file battery charges against Romero. The 33-year-old reliever spoke to ESPN.com two weeks ago -- before the alleged altercation with the fan.

"The toughest part was when we broke camp: The 50 days begin, and that's when the nightmare starts. That's when you really have to be tough mentally. I went home [to Alabama] for seven days, and I spent time with my wife and my daughter. I think by me doing that it kind of recharged my battery.

"If there's something positive I can take from this is I got closer to my wife and my daughter. Other than that, when you go back to your house and put your head on the pillow, you realize they're taking away from me what I love. They're taking away from me what I know how to do best.

"When I went home, I did what a normal husband would do: get up in the morning and eat breakfast with my family, and then around 3 o'clock, I went out and worked out. It felt very weird just not being able to suit up. That was the hard part, especially early on when we played close games, knowing that the seventh, eighth inning was arriving and I wasn't able to participate; that was very tough to swallow.

"I decided to turn the TV off. There were a lot of times I turned the TV off because it just really made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't watch it, especially when a lefty was coming in. I was very supportive and I wanted him to do good, but at the same time, if something went wrong, I took it to heart because I knew that was my spot.

"There was a game earlier this season against the Washington Nationals; we were losing by one run, and they scored five runs or so. After that, I said, you know what, I think it's better if I just stayed away from the TV and take care of my business. I stopped watching games. I put my mindset of being in the minor leagues again. I went to Clearwater [Fla.] and extended spring training with a lot of the minor league guys, and I became like a teacher there to all the players. One thing I always tried to make clear to the young Latino kids was that they have to learn how to protect their career. Bottom line is it doesn't matter who is around us, we're the ones in charge of what happens with our career, period.

"I would go to the field around 10 a.m., and it was hard to adjust my body because I'm used to pitching at night, and now I was pitching at 1 o'clock, in the afternoon sun. I tried to keep my routine similar to what I do in the regular season.

"I brought my daddy, Juan Raul Romero, from Puerto Rico to stay with me in Clearwater. I learned how to cook a lot. I'm a grill guy, so when he came, I made the whole meal and cleaned the dishes afterward, something I'm not accustomed to doing. It humbled me and brought me closer to my family. Around 4 p.m., reality would start hitting me because I knew that was the time I had to get prepared for the game. I would try and distract myself: I would watch movies, cook, do all the things a normal guy would do, other than play baseball.

"After 36 days, I then went to the minors. You have to understand I have it in my blood; I love the game of baseball, it doesn't matter what level you play. I think it's a privilege for us to put on a uniform and say we are professional athletes. I didn't think about the fact that I was being punished; my mentality was that this is what I have to do and just prepare myself. I was really trying to be professional about it.

"The fans were very supportive. That's what I see as a miracle: So far, I haven't had anybody give me a hard time. Some New York fans probably will because it's a big rivalry; I guess it just comes with the territory, you just have to make sure you stay strong.

"I texted Manny when I heard he was suspended and I told him that I was supporting him and praying for him and he should keep his head up and keep battling. He texted me and said thank you. He was very supportive when I was suspended; he had wanted to make sure I was OK mentally.

"As professional athletes, we have to support each other, and we have to learn from each other's mistakes. We are the product of our mistakes, and we are the product of our decisions, and we are who we are today because we learn. I say that with my head up high, and I don't regret anything that happened because I still believe in my heart that I did things the right way."

Amy K. Nelson is a staff writer for ESPN.com. She can be reached via e-mail at amy.k.nelson@espn3.com or at twitter.com/AmyKNelson .