Jesse Chavez's long and winding MLB career has come to an end.
The journeyman reliever announced his retirement from the sport in an appearance on Foul Territory on Thursday.
"In all honesty, I haven't picked up a baseball since my last pitch (with the Atlanta Braves) in St. Louis. As of now I don't think we're going to keep going. I think this is it. Time to turn the page and focus on the next chapter in life," Chavez said.
Chaves, 41, completed a seventh stint with the Braves when he was designated for assignment earlier in July and opted for free agency.
He first joined the Braves in December 2009 in a trade with Tampa Bay for reliever Rafael Soriano. He played on Atlanta's 2021 World Series championship team after signing a minor-league deal.
Chavez, of San Gabriel, Calif., made his major-league debut with Pittsburgh in 2008 and has pitched for nine teams in 18 seasons, including multiple stints with Toronto, the Los Angeles Angels, Texas and the Chicago Cubs.
After entering the league as a 42nd-round pick of the Rangers in 2002, Chavez went on to make 657 MLB appearances with a career ERA of 4.27 to go with 1,044 strikeouts over 1,142 innings.
--with files from The Associated Press
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