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Chicago White Sox rookie DH Yermin Mercedes has decided to retire from baseball. The surprise announcement comes shortly after Mercedes was demoted to Triple-A. On Wednesday evening, Mercedes broke the news via their Instagram account and did so in an apologetic tone:
The White Sox, however, have not received an official announcement of Mercedes’ decision:
Mercedes has been one of the biggest stories in the opening weeks of the 2021 season. The 28-year-old produced .415 / .455 / .659 through the end of April with five homers and 34 hits. in 22 games. Fifteen of those hits came in his first six games of the season. He also became the first player in modern MLB history to start his career with eight straight hits. As a result, Mercedes was named the AL Rookie of the Month for April.
However, Mercedes’ decline began soon after. In May, he hit .221 / .292 .326 with two homers in 28 games, and manager Tony La Russa sparked controversy after criticizing Mercedes for hitting a homerun on a 3-0 pitch from one player. of position launching into a rash. In June, Mercedes’ slash line dropped to .159 / .221 / .190 in 18 games. In early July, the White Sox demoted him to triple A Charlotte. He’s been producing at a high level since his expulsion, but Mercedes doesn’t have an obvious path to the majors as of yet. Without a doubt, this contributed to his apparent frustration. Right now, Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger are splitting their time at DH, and possible returns from injured outfielders Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert could lead to a tightening of the roster. All of this probably contributed to Mercedes’ apparent frustration.
The White Sox initially acquired Mercedes from the Baltimore Orioles during the minor-league phase of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. During her twisty journey to MLB, Mercedes spent part of nine seasons in the minors, including two. passes in an independent unaffiliated balloon. If this is indeed the end for Mercedes, then he concludes his MLB career with a .270 / .327 / .402 line with seven home runs and 65 hits in 69 games for the White Sox.
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