Elvis Andrus To Retire As A Member of His Original Team

He wasn't able to land a major league job in 2024, and now 36-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus has officially decided to retire, and he will do so with the team with which he played 12 of his 15 MLB seasons.

Elvis Andrus will officially retire as a member of the Texas Rangers on Friday, per @Evan_P_Grant pic.twitter.com/UALwsCr8P5
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 4, 2024

Andrus will be honored before Friday's Rangers game against his former manager Ron Washington and the Los Angeles Angels. Andrus will throw out the first pitch.

The Venezuelan shortstop was a top prospect when he was called up to Texas in 2009, and finished second in the Rookie of the Year balloting that year. He then became an American League All-Star in two of the next three years and the team made it to the World Series in his second and third seasons.

“Every player has lasting traits that people remember them by," said former longtime teammate Michael Young. "For Elvis, it will be his enthusiasm and his energy. When he got here, we were ready to start kicking this thing into gear. We needed some young players to provide that nightly spark. He gave it to us with his personality and his performance. And, more importantly, we all immediately loved him.”

He last played in the majors in the 2023 season for the Chicago White Sox. He came in to spring training in 2024 on a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. But when he didn’t make the opening day roster, he elected not to go to the minor leagues, instead returning to his home to be with his family.

In 15 major league seasons, Andrus slashed .269/325/.370 for a .695 OPS, with 102 home runs and 347 steals in 2,059 games.