Orioles' Rasmus placed on restricted list to discontinue career

The Baltimore Orioles have placed outfielder Colby Rasmus on the restricted list. Rasmus told Orioles manager Buck Showalter that he's going home to discontinue his career, Showalter told Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun.

The Orioles are honoring Rasmus' decision and have decided not to disclose any details.

In mid-July last season, as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, Rasmus stepped away from baseball. He was placed on the restricted list then too and became a free agent after the season. Like the Orioles, the Rays didn't go into specifics, but his teammates at the time were supportive of his decision, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain.

When asked if he was surprised by Rasmus' decision based on last season, Showalter said he was not.

Rasmus signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles in February, making his debut with the club on Opening Day against the Minnesota Twins as a pinch hitter. A hip injury limited the 31-year-old to just 18 games this season. He hit .133/.204/.222 with one home run in 49 plate appearances.

A former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005, Rasmus played parts of 10 major-league seasons with five teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros.

He finished eighth in rookie-of-the-year voting in 2009 as a 22-year-old, hitting .251 and stroking 16 home runs. He followed that up with possibly his best offensive season, posting an .859 OPS with 23 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 144 games.

The Cardinals traded Rasmus to the Blue Jays at the 2011 trade deadline.

He will be remembered for his flashes of brilliance on the diamond. Rasmus occasionally played an outstanding center field, and he hit 20-plus home runs four times, doing it for three different teams.

If this is truly the end, Rasmus will have the knowledge that he was still capable. His lone home run for the Orioles came off Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer on June 21.