Former Dodgers Infielder Now With Padres Says Injuries Forced Him to Retire

Former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nick Punto spoke to the San Diego Union-Tribune on his decision to retire due to injury.

Punto came to the Dodgers in a trade with the Boston Red Sox in 2012, and stayed with the team until declaring free agency in 2013. He is currently on the San Diego Padres coaching staff.

"It was very hard," said Punto on his decision to retire. "I thought my body was still doing OK enough to play, but my elbow was shot. I messed my elbow up. It was just hard to get on the field without taking too many anti-inflammatories and it was messing up my stomach. So basically, injury just kind of got me to say goodbye."

Punto played 138 games for the Dodgers, batting .258 with two homers and 21 runs batted in during his time in Los Angeles.

Punto played sporadically for the Philadelphia Phillies upon entering the league, making very few appearances in his first two years in the league before playing 64 games for the club in 2003. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins, who initially drafted him in 1997, and played there for seven years, the majority of his MLB career.

Punto elected free agency after the 2010 season and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, but played just one season there before joining the Red Sox. The Oakland A's signed Punto after he left the Dodgers, and he retired after the 2014 season.

Punto won the 2011 World Series with the Cardinals, batting .171 in the postseason that year. He also took part in the Dodgers' 2013 postseason run, where they fell to the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.

Punto's Padres are in third place in the division, currently trailing the Dodgers in the NL West by 6.5 games. The two teams have had two heated series so far, and will play twice more in August. The Dodgers will try to extend their lead at the top in baseball's best division.