After spending parts of eight years in the big leagues, former Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox infielder Ryan Goins has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. He says he will become a coach in the next chapter of his life.
The 35-year-old former infielder posted this on "X" (formerly Twitter).
Retirement: As an athlete you never think it's coming and then one day it's staring you right in the face! As a lot of people know I spent this last season coaching but never officially announced that I was done playing the game that I've loved since I was a little boy with a dream.
I was able to do some special things in my 14 years and developed relationships that will last a lifetime. I want to say thank you to the Toronto Blue Jays for taking a chance on me and giving me my first shot. Also to the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves for bringing me in and allowing me the opportunity to live out my dreams.
To all of my teammates along the way, and the friendships I leave the game with, I say thank you!
Lastly, to my family, who was there with me every step of the way and had my back no matter what, your support meant the world to me and I hope I made you proud every step of the way. So this is my official goodbye to playing the game and my hello to the next chapter of my journey as a coach.
Goins played for the Blue Jays from 2013-2017, seeing action on two different teams that went to the postseason. He appeared in the 2015 and 2016 playoffs for the Jays, both teams that went to the ALCS.
A lifetime .228 hitter, he was a prominent starter for both the 2015 and 2017 Jays. After that, he spent time with the Royals (2018) and White Sox (2019-20).
He had a minor league deal with the Royals last offseason, but didn't appear in games for Kansas City.
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