MLB veteran infielder Tony Kemp announced his retirement from professional baseball on Thursday following nine seasons in MLB.

Kemp played for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles. His MLB career technically ended in April 2024 as he was designated for assignment by the Orioles in order for them to call up No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday.

Kemp wrote a lengthy and emotional social media post on Thursday.

"Wow, thank you, God, for allowing me to be a Major League Baseball player," Kemp wrote. "After 12 seasons of professional baseball and nine seasons in the big leagues, I've decided to hang up the spikes.

"... Thank you to the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics for allowing me to represent your cities throughout my career. ... To the undersized ballplayer: I see you, I hear you and I understand you. With all of the metrics and data in the game of baseball today, there is still one measurement they can't compute: your heart." 

Kemp is known for being short in the majors, as he stands 5' 6" and weighs 160 pounds. He was the shortest designated hitter in MLB postseason history during his 2017 World Series run with the Astros. He finished his career with a career .237 batting average with 35 homers and 184 RBIs in 739 games.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Veteran Infielder Tony Kemp Announces Retirement From MLB.

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