Veteran Slugger Kendrys Morales Retires From MLB
By Brendan Balsamo
13-year veteran Kendrys Morales has been without a team since being released by the New York Yankees on July 2 of last season, following a 19-game stint in the Bronx.
Well, on Friday, Feb. 7, Morales announced his retirement from Major League Baseball via ESPN's Marly Rivera.
Time to practice your español! Kendrys Morales makes it official, and talks to me about his decision to officially retire from Major League Baseball. https://t.co/TksFppLm8t
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) February 7, 2020
Morales, after defecting from Cuba and signing with the Los Angeles Angels in December of 2004, spent a year in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 2006. From 2006-2008 he went up and down from MLB to Triple-A and back again, before finally breaking out in 2009. In 2010, he became notorious for hitting a walk-off grand slam and breaking his leg when jumping onto home plate. He didn't return until 2012, and after was traded to Seattle the following year.
In 2015 with the Royals, Morales hit .290 with 22 home runs and 106 RBI, and was a key piece in the Kansas City's first World Series win since 1980.
Morales stuck around in KC for one more season before walking in free agency following the 2016 campaign. Since then he'd bounced from team to team, before finally deciding to hang up the cleats at 36.
Kendrys Morales retires after 13-year career, reports @MarlyRiveraESPN
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 7, 2020
Morales retires as a part of Royals lore. One of the scariest hitters in the game in 2015, he helped Kansas City return to the holy land for the first time since the days of George Brett.