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MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff announced his retirement Thursday at age 26, after a series of injuries kept the 2016 first-round draft pick from fulfilling his potential.

Kirilloff was limited to 57 games this season because of a lower back injury, batting .201 with 5 home runs, 20 RBIs and a .653 OPS. He last played June 11.

After being sent down to Triple-A St. Paul, Kirilloff reported further soreness in his lower back along with nerve-related pain in his leg. He told the team he understated the severity of his injury because he wanted to keep playing, but he wasn’t able to get well enough to return after that.

Kirilloff said in a videoconference call with reporters that he was diagnosed with a chronic stress fracture and a slipping vertebra that could take up to a year to fully rehabilitate.

“It just comes to the point where you have to ask yourself, ‘Should I be playing, and how does it affect my quality of life down the road?'” Kirilloff said.

Kirilloff hit .270 with 11 homers in 88 games in 2023, his best of four major league seasons. He mostly played first base last year, but the majority of his career was spent as a corner outfielder or a designated hitter.

Kirilloff won Minnesota’s Minor League Player of the Year award in 2018. After making his major league debut in the 2020 playoffs with the Twins, Kirilloff was beset by wrist and shoulder injuries that he finally appeared to be past in 2024 before the back trouble flared up. In 249 career games, he batted .248 with 27 homers, 116 RBIs and a .721 OPS.

The native of Pennsylvania said he’d been mulling his future for a while and finally came to peace with the decision in the last few weeks.

“These challenges have taken a toll on me mentally and physically. Over time, I’ve realized that my passion for playing the game has shifted. Baseball demands an ‘all-in’ approach, something I’ve brought to every season,” Kirilloff said in a social media post. “However, I can no longer give it the total commitment it requires. I’ve always believed that playing this game requires 110% effort, and anything less would not do justice to my teammates, coaches, fans, or the game itself.”

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

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NHL trade grades: Report cards for the Trent Frederic swap, Seth Jones blockbuster, other major deals

The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.

For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers.

Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.

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Devers says he’s not ready, delays spring debut

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Devers says he's not ready, delays spring debut

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers, who was expected to make his spring training debut Tuesday, has pushed it back after telling manager Alex Cora he did not feel ready while taking live batting practice.

Cora did not say when the three-time All-Star will play, but the manager suggested it might not be until this weekend.

Devers hit .272 with 28 homers and 83 RBIs last season despite complaining of soreness in both of his shoulders. He spent the first couple of weeks of spring training trying to strengthen them for the rigors of a 162-game regular season.

Exactly where Devers will play once he returns remains another question.

The Red Sox signed two-time All-Star Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract this offseason, giving them a Gold Glove winner at third base, where Devers has posted poor fielding metrics over the years. Devers has led the American League, or been tied for the lead, in errors three times in the past seven seasons.

Devers has balked at moving to DH, though, saying last month: “Third base is my position.”

Devers could remain at third base while Bregman moves to second, where he has played in just nine games over eight big league seasons.

“The decisions that are going to be made here about roster construction and about what we’re going to do in the future, we’re going to make sure we have the best team possible out there,” Cora said. “[Devers] has a lot of pride. We know that. He feels like he’s a third baseman. He’s going to work out as a third baseman and then we’ll make decisions accordingly.

“I think here it’s not about Bregman or Devers or Cora. It’s about the Red Sox.”

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Rangers’ Garcia injures oblique; opener at risk

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Rangers' Garcia injures oblique; opener at risk

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia was scratched from the lineup Tuesday and will undergo an MRI on his left oblique, throwing into question his availability for Opening Day on March 27 against the Boston Red Sox.

It is the same oblique Garcia injured during the Rangers’ World Series run two years ago.

“He’s going to miss a little bit of time. We’re hoping not much,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.

A two-time All-Star, García is trying to bounce back from a disappointing season in which he hit .224 with 24 homers and 85 RBIs in 154 games. He had six hits and two walks in 21 plate appearances so far this spring training.

García is the second Rangers outfielder to be sidelined by an oblique injury this spring training after Wyatt Langford went down Feb. 21.

Langford is still working his way back, but Bochy said it’s possible Langford could make his first exhibition appearance this week.

The 23-year-old Langford, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, made an instant impact for Texas last season, hitting .253 with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in just 134 games.

The Rangers also have Evan Carter, Leody Taveras, Josh Smith and Kevin Pillar as outfield options.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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