Hosmer announced Wednesday via social media that he has retired from professional baseball.
In addition to confirming his retirement, Hosmer also announced the creation of his own media company, which will host his podcast. The 34-year-old's decision to bring an end to his playing days wasn't unexpected, as Hosmer had been a free agent since being released by the Cubs last May. A four-time Gold Glove winner and one-time All-Star, Hosmer ends his career with a lifetime .276/.335/.427 slash line to go with 198 home runs, 893 RBI, 812 runs and 76 stolen bases over 1,689 games across 13 seasons with the Royals, Padres, Red Sox and Cubs. He won his only World Series title with Kansas City in 2015.
Hosmer's struggles paired with the arrival of Matt Mervis pushed Hosmer off the Cubs' roster Friday. The Padres are still responsible for paying most of the $32 million left on his contract, meaning Hosmer will likely have plenty of suitors to pick from.
Hosmer was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Friday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
The 33-year-old first baseman was slashing just .234/.280/.330 through 31 games (100 plate appearances) this season and had barely seen the field since the promotion of Matt Mervis. Hosmer is still owed about $32 million on his contract, but the Padres are on the hook for the majority of that. Chicago signed him to a deal worth the MLB minimum in January.
Hosmer will serve in a bench role moving forward, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Hosmer's move to the bench comes in the wake of the Cubs calling up top prospect Matt Mervis from Triple-A Iowa. Mervis will start at first base Friday against the Marlins in his MLB debut, and he's expected to operate as the Cubs' primary option at that spot while Trey Mancini serves as the team's designated hitter. Hosmer has retained his spot on the roster for now, but it's difficult to see him sticking around over the long haul with Mervis now around.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Playing time in trouble?
Rotowire
With top prospect Matt Mervis expected to get called up from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, Hosmer could be in danger of losing playing time.
Mervis is expected to see everyday playing time between first base and designated hitter, which could squeeze Hosmer out of the lineup more regularly, The latter has an uninspiring .657 OPS and only two home runs over 26 games, so it makes sense that the Cubs want to promote the powerful Mervis, who has a .924 OPS at Triple-A. Hosmer's already meager fantasy value could be in line to take a significant hit.
Hosmer is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
With a lefty (MacKenzie Gore) on the bump for Washington, the lefty-hitting Hosmer will hit the bench in the series opener. Trey Mancini will replace Hosmer at first base.
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