Former Cleveland Guardians second baseman Jason Kipnis has announced his retirement from professional baseball. He last appeared in MLB with the Chicago Cubs in 2020, and has played in the minor leagues since then. He talked about the weirdness of playing baseball during the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of his career.

“I always heard you rarely get to end your career on your own terms,” Jason Kipnis wrote in his retirement announcement. “They weren't lying. Breaking my hamate bone on my last swing with Cleveland meant no fun hat tip before leaving. Got to go home and wear the Cubbies blue and return to Cleveland as a visitor; pandemic, empty stadiums, no closure.”

Kipnis later posted a video highlighting the best moments from his career.

The pandemic eliminated the possibility of a proper farewell to the Cleveland Guardians fanbase before heading to the Cubs. He also said his career came full-circle in the last couple of years.

“Instead, it ended the way my professional career started, riding buses in the minor leagues,” Kipnis wrote. “And then the lockout happened, and before I knew it, it was over. Frustrating at first, but there's only one feeling I'm left with that stands out above all
. Gratitude.”

Kipnis thanked his family, fans, former coaches and front office members in his statement, before thanking the game of baseball itself.

“It was an honor and a privilege to play this game,” Kipnis wrote. “I may regret the way we ended, but I will never regret what we had. I am forever a fan of yours.”

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Kipnis is one of the best to play second base in the history of the Cleveland Guardians franchise, ranking in the top three in many major categories.

Jason Kipnis has not been seen at the major league level in a couple of years, but now he has given baseball and its fans an official goodbye.