Former National League batting champion Freddy Sanchez, who had contemplated a comeback in recent years, officially retired from baseball Monday.
Sanchez, 38, made three All-Star teams over parts of 10 seasons with Boston, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. He hit .344 with the Pirates in 2006 and beat out the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera for the NL batting crown on the final day of the regular season.
Sanchez last appeared in the majors with San Francisco in 2011.
He played briefly in the minors with the Giants in 2012, but he was never able to recover from a series of injuries to his back and shoulder.
"I'm so thankful for what baseball [has] given me,'' Sanchez said through his agents, Sosnick Cobbe & Karon. "I appreciate the opportunity the Red Sox, Pirates and Giants gave me.''
