Whit Merrifield retires after twice leading MLB in hits over his 9 seasons

Whit Merrifield is retiring after a nine-season career that included twice leading the MLB in hits and three trips to the All-Star Game.

The 36-year-old posted on social media that the birth of his daughter last year played a role in the decision. Merrifield, a utilityman whose career began with Kansas City, was granted free agency after finishing last season with Atlanta. He didn’t play in 2025.

“At this point in my life, I’d much rather chase around a toddler than chase sliders,” wrote Merrifield, who had 192 hits for the Royals in 2018 and led the majors again a year later with 206.

Merrifield played his last game with the Braves on Sept. 30, 2024, when they had to play a Monday doubleheader against the New York Mets to settle the National League wild-card race. Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene had rained out both games in Atlanta a week earlier.

The Mets clinched a wild card with a victory in Game 1, which Merrifield played. He sat for the second game, which the Braves won to move on to the postseason as well.

Merrifield was a ninth-round pick by Kansas City in the 2010 amateur draft and made his debut with the Royals six years later, the season after the club won its first World Series in 30 years.

Merrifield played in every game from 2019-21, which included the 2020 season shortened to 60 games by the pandemic.

The Royals didn’t make the playoffs in any of Merrifield’s six full seasons, and he was traded to Toronto in 2022. He went to the postseason twice with the Blue Jays, but wasn’t a regular in the lineup.

Merrifield led the majors in stolen bases three times, including a career-high 45 in 2018. He hit .280 with 94 homers, 485 RBIs, 29 triples and 218 steals in 1,147 games.

The last All-Star trip for Merrifield came in 2023 with Toronto, and he signed as a free agent with Philadelphia that next offseason. The Phillies released Merrifield last July, and the South Carolina native signed with the Braves.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb