The Twins' 26-year-old Alex Kirilloff is retiring after an injury-plagued career

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff announced his retirement Thursday at age 26 after a series of injuries prevented the 2016 first-round draft pick from reaching his potential.

Limited to 57 games this season because of a lower back injury, Kirilloff batted .201 with five home runs, 20 RBI and a .653 OPS. He last played on June 11th.

After being sent down to Triple-A St. Paul, Kirilloff reported further lower back pain and nerve-related pain in his leg. He told the team that he underestimated the severity of his injury because he wanted to continue playing, but did not recover enough to return afterward.

Kirilloff said in a video conference with reporters that he had been diagnosed with a chronic stress fracture and spondylolisthesis, which could take up to a year to fully recover.

“There just comes a point where you have to ask yourself, 'Should I play and how will this affect my quality of life later?'” Kirilloff said.

Kirilloff hit .270 with 11 home runs in 88 games in 2023, his best of four major league seasons. He played primarily first base last year, but has spent most of his career as a corner outfielder or designated hitter.

Kirilloff was named Minnesota's 2018 minor league player of the year. After making his major league debut with the Twins in the 2020 playoffs, Kirilloff suffered from wrist and shoulder injuries, which he appeared to have overcome in 2024 before back problems flared up. In 249 career games, he batted .248 with 27 home runs, 116 RBI and an OPS of .721.

The Pennsylvania native said he thought about his future for a while and finally came to terms with the decision in recent weeks.

“These challenges took a toll on me mentally and physically. Over time, I noticed that my passion for the game changed. Baseball requires an “all-in” approach, something I have brought with me every season,” Kirilloff said in a social media post. “However, I can no longer give the full commitment that it requires. I have always believed that playing this game requires 110% commitment and anything less would be a disservice to my teammates, coaches, fans or the game itself.”