Elvis Andrus, who made his MLB debut as a 20-year-old shortstop with the Texas Rangers on opening day in 2009, will retire with the team that first brought him into the big leagues.
The 36-year-old Andrus will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Rangers’ home game on Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels and their manager, Ron Washington, who led Andrus during his first five-plus seasons.
Joining Andrus on the mound will be Michael Young, who shifted from shortstop to third base to accommodate Andrus and now serves as a special assistant to Rangers general manager Chris Young.
The head coach was not really happy about his retirement but was left with no choice of acceptance.
A two-time All-Star, Andrus was a key player for the Rangers during their back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011. He was also part of AL West-winning teams in 2015 and 2016.
When the team entered a rebuilding phase nearly a decade later, Andrus was traded to Oakland before the 2021 season. During his second season with the A’s, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox.
Andrus played for the White Sox in 2023 but has not been signed this season.
The Venezuelan native has a career batting average of .269, with 102 home runs and 775 RBIs. He holds the Rangers’ record for career stolen bases with 305 and ranks second in games played (1,652), at-bats (6,366), and triples (48).
