After 13 seasons in the majors, Orioles slugger Chris Davis is calling it quits.
“After an extended time dealing with my injury and recent hip surgery, I informed the Orioles about my decision to retire effective today,” Davis said in a statement via the team.
Davis appeared in just one spring training game and then underwent season-ending left hip surgery to repair an injured labrum in May.
The 35-year-old was expected to return at the start of 2022 for the final season of his massive seven-year, $161 million contract.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that Davis will still receive the full $23 million he was owed for next year, but has worked on a “restructuring” with the club.
“The Orioles support Chris Davis as he retires from baseball today,” the team said in a statement. “We thank Chris for his 11 years of service to the club, to Orioles fans, and to the Baltimore community.
“Athletes have the power to change lives and better their communities, and Chris and his family have done just that. We admire their dedication to those most in need, with hundreds of hours of community work completed, millions of dollars donated, and countless other charitable efforts performed, often without fanfare.”
After three-plus seasons to start his career with the Rangers, Davis came to the Orioles at the 2011 trade deadline. From there, he transformed himself into one of the most feared sluggers in baseball.
In 2013, Davis mashed an MLB-best — and career-high — 53 home runs with 138 RBIs while slugging an impressive .634. He won the Silver Slugger Award for first base, was selected to his only All-Star team and finished third in the MVP voting. Two years later he led baseball again with 47 dingers.
In 2016, he signed the huge contract but quickly saw his numbers plummet. Starting in 2018, there was a precipitous drop in his offensive stats, as he hit under .200 for three consecutive seasons and totaled just 28 long balls. From the end of 2018 into 2019, he was mired in a highly publicized 0-for-54 slump.
Despite the sharp drop and complicated Orioles legacy, Davis still ranks seventh in team history with 253 homers, 10th in walks (491), 11th in RBIs (656) and 12th in extra-base hits (433). His 142 home runs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards are the second-most in the ballpark’s history.
Davis finishes his career with 295 homers, 780 RBIs and a .459 slugging percentage.