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BOSTON — David Ortiz’s career is over and the slugger says he’s ready to move on.
“I’ll miss being around the guys on the team and hearing the fans, but I won’t miss the toll this game takes on your body,” he said. “I’ve been playing in the majors for 20 years and after a while your body lets you know that it simply can’t stand up four times every day to swing the bat and then also sometimes jog to first or around the bases if you hit a home run. No más.”
Ortiz had one of the best years of his career in 2016, putting up an OPS of 1.021 to lead the Red Sox to a division title, and has received some pressure to come back again next season. But in addition to the battering his body takes for as much as 10 minutes a night in the batter’s box, Ortiz said he can no longer keep up with the MLB lifestyle.
“It’s nothing but chartered flights, five-star hotels, catered meals and clubhouse massages,” he said. “It’s a whirlwind and it can really overwhelm you after a while.”
The Red Sox legend says he just needs to get away from it all.
“The idea of taking a first-class flight somewhere and staying at a nice hotel, eating good food, maybe getting a massage and doing a little bit of light exercise every night sounds pretty amazing right about now,” said Ortiz. “It’s time to kick back and just enjoy life.”
