Longoria to retire with Rays on June 7
Evan Longoria will officially hang up his cleats when he signs a ceremonial one-day contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on June 7, MLB announced Monday.
The 39-year-old hasn't played in the majors since the 2023 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Longoria said in July his playing days were over, but he hadn't filed his retirement paper.
"I want to come back home, essentially," Longoria told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I just always kind of felt like I owed it to the Rays fans who supported me all those years to come back and do some sort of announcement with the Rays."
Tampa Bay plans to hold a grander ceremony for the three-time All-Star at a later date once Tropicana Field is repaired.
The 2006 third overall pick is the Rays' all-time leader in games played, runs scored, home runs, total bases, RBIs, and a number of other categories.
Longoria spent 10 of his 16 major-league seasons with the Rays, winning three Gold Gloves and Rookie of the Year in 2008. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants before the 2018 season.