Aaron Slegers announced his retirement from baseball on his personal Twitter account last week, citing an “ongoing shoulder injury” that has led to him “calling it a career” at age 30.
Slegers was selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Indiana University and went on to make his big league debut with Minnesota in 2017 before then bouncing between the Rays and Angels. The sinkerballer’s best season came with Tampa Bay in 2020, when he posted a 3.46 ERA through 26 innings during the shortened season. Slegers made three playoff appearances during the Rays’ run to an American League pennant, providing Kevin Cash with five innings of one-run ball during the postseason.
Over parts of five MLB seasons, the right-hander worked to a 5.46 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 28 walks across 89 total major league innings, operating mostly in relief. He induced grounders on a solid 51% of batted balls over the course of his career.
Slegers struggled with the Angels in 2021 and was outrighted off their roster in August. He signed a minor league deal with the Rays for 2022 but made it through only 2 2/3 innings in the rookie-level Florida Complex League before his shoulder began barking again. He threw his last pitch on July 2022 against the FCL affiliate of the Braves.
“I know baseball has blessed me with talents far wider than the skills on the field and has molded me into who I am as a person,” Slegers wrote in his retirement post. “Thank you to all who have supported me.” MLBTR wishes Slegers the best in his post-playing endeavours.
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