Cecil announced his retirement from professional baseball Sunday via his personal Instagram account.
Cecil, 35, has been out of baseball since being released by the Cardinals in June 2020. Over parts of 10 seasons in the majors with Toronto and St. Louis, the lefty reliever accrued a 4.29 ERA across 756 innings.
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Brett Cecil: Cut loose
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Cecil was released by the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Cecil signed a four-year deal with the Cardinals in 2016 but lasted just two seasons with the team thanks to his 4.86 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 100 innings. Should the veteran left-hander get a chance elsewhere, he'll likely have to prove himself in a low-leverage role early on after struggling to a career-worst 6.89 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in 32.2 innings last season.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Unveils sidearm delivery
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Cecil (hamstring) debuted a new sidearm delivery while facing hitters Tuesday at the Cardinals' summer camp, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Slowed by a right hamstring strain during spring training, Cecil was able to make a full recovery from the injury during baseball's three-plus-month hiatus. About a week and a half before reporting to summer camp, Cecil began to experiment with a new delivery, hoping the change would limit the strain on his left arm while improving his chances of cracking the Cardinals' 30-man Opening Day roster. A major disappointment since inking a four-year, $30.5 million deal with the Cardinals in November 2016, Cecil will likely have to settle for low-leverage work early on in the season if he clinches a spot in the St. Louis bullpen.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Readiness to be determined
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Cecil (hamstring) has been working out at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida in recent weeks and will have his health reassessed when players report for summer camp, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The hamstring Cecil tweaked just before spring training was suspended has had plenty of time to recover, even factoring in the time off the veteran took from rehab for personal reasons in late March and early April. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirms the 33-year-old southpaw will be evaluated when summer camp begins July 1, but the fact Cecil has apparently been throwing regularly would seem to bode well for his chances of competing for a spot on the active roster during the ramp-up to the regular season.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Expanded rosters could save job
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Cecil (hamstring) is much more likely to avoid being designated for assignment if rosters are expanded significantly for the 2020 season as currently planned, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.
Saxon notes Cecil could well have been off the roster had spring training unfolded normally and the regular season had begun on time. Instead, the extended suspension of play has given the veteran a chance to heal the hamstring injury that cropped up March 11, and the expanded rosters that now appear to be a certainty if an abbreviated 2020 season is played likely affords the team enough room to keep him on board. The 33-year-old southpaw put together a reasonably solid body of work over five Grapefruit League appearances, posting a 4.15 ERA across 4.1 innings after missing all of 2019 with a wrist injury.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Nearing return to mound
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Cecil (hamstring) is expected to resume throwing off a mound in the next week or two, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Since suffering a severe hamstring strain March 11, Cecil's focus thus far has mainly been in strengthening his lower body rather than incorporating any baseball activities into his workouts. He'll take a notable step forward when he eventually steps back on the mound again, though he'll probably need at least another week or two after that to get his arm conditioned for game action.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Getting back to rehab soon
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Cecil (hamstring) will return to rehabilitation activities next week according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Due to personal reasons, Cecil had recently taken some time off from his rehab for the right hamstring strain he suffered in a March 11 exhibition against the Mets, just before spring training was suspended. Mozeliak reports the veteran reliever is feeling better now that he's over three weeks removed from the incident. Given the indefinite delay on MLB returning to action in any form, he's likely to have plenty of recovery time at his disposal. Cecil made five appearances during Grapefruit League play, generating a 4.15 ERA across 4.1 innings.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Suffers hamstring injury
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Cecil left Wednesday's game against the Mets with a right hamstring injury.
The veteran lefty missed all of last season with a wrist injury and is potentially at risk of missing time again at the start of his season. The exact nature and severity of his injury are not yet clear, however.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Solid in return to mound
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Cecil fired a scoreless sixth inning during which he allowed no hits or walks, hit a batter and recorded a strikeout in a 2-0 Grapefruit League win over the Mets on Saturday.
The appearance was Cecil's first time back on a big-league mound since last spring, when he was shut down after a handful of Grapefruit League outings with what eventually was diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome that required surgery. Cecil promptly plunked Brandon Nimmo to begin his stint on the mound, but he overcame the early nerves to strike out Jake Magnum and retire David Thompson and Blake Tiberi on soft outs. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Cecil was able to deploy his fastball, curveball and slider during the 11-pitch outing, with manager Mike Shildt commenting after the game that Cecil's stuff appeared sharper than it had been in quite some time.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: To see time Saturday
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Cecil is slated to get his first taste of Grapefruit League action in Saturday's game against a Mets split squad, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
The veteran reliever will enter the game at some point behind starter Jack Flaherty, and the outing will be particularly meaningful for Cecil after he missed all of last season with a wrist injury. Cecil has made a good impression in his early bullpen sessions during camp, and if healthy and effective, he could be a key sixth- and seventh-inning asset for manager Mike Shildt this coming season.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Impressing in early bullpens
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Cecil, who missed all of last season with a wrist injury, has impressed in early bullpen sessions, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. "He's competing, he's in a good spot mentally, physically," manager Mike Shildt said. "Feels good, covering well. Everything's been favorable."
The veteran southpaw, who's entering the final year of a four-year contract, has plenty to prove after not only missing the entirety of 2019, but often pitching ineffectively the season prior. Cecil generated a career-high 6.89 ERA and 1.96 WHIP over 40 appearances back in 2018, but early reports point to a rejuvenated player. Pitching instructor Chris Carpenter, who stood in during Cecil's bullpen session Saturday, came away impressed with the movement the reliever put on the ball and the sharpness of his breaking pitch in particular. Given his experience, handedness and past major-league track record, Cecil would appear to have a strong chance of securing a bullpen spot with a strong spring.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Enters camp without limitations
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Cecil (wrist) is opening spring training on a standard program and isn't expected to face any restrictions during Grapefruit League action, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Per Rogers, Cecil was one of several Cardinals pitchers who completed a bullpen session on the first day of camp Tuesday, so he looks like he won't be limited this spring as he aims to secure an Opening Day bullpen job. Cecil didn't make any appearances in the majors or minors last season while he recovered from surgery to address carpal tunnel symptoms in his left wrist.
Cecil (wrist) was placed on the Cardinals' 40-man roster Friday.
Cecil ended the year on the 60-day injured list due to a wrist injury, but now that the season has concluded, the club has moved him back to the 40-man roster.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Still limited to live BP sessions
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Cecil (wrist) is still facing hitters in live batting practice sessions but remains without any type of timetable for return, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.
Manager Mike Shildt acknowledged Tuesday that there's no indication Cecil is "on his way back to our [the big-league] level" this season, making it a bleak overall outlook for the veteran. Cecil has yet to pitch this season, and this latest report indicates he's increasingly likely to remain on the shelf for the entire campaign.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Resumes facing hitters
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Cecil (wrist) recently resumed facing hitters in live batting practice at the Cardinals' spring-training facility in Florida, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
While the activity amounts to a step forward for Cecil as he works back from April surgery to address a carpal tunnel-related issue, Goold notes that the southpaw will likely need several more weeks before being ready to pitch in games. Realistically, the Cardinals would most likely wait until rosters expand in September before reinstating Cecil from the 60-day IL, but even that's not a given. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently suggested the organization wouldn't mind if Cecil oriented his rehab toward getting ready for the 2020 campaign, when he'll be entering the final season of his four-year, $30.5 million contract.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Nearing mound work
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Cecil (wrist) said Wednesday that he expects to begin throwing 15-pitch, low-intensity bullpen sessions next week, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Cecil appears ready to move on to the next phase of his recovery from surgery to address carpal tunnel syndrome after throwing off flat ground from 90 to 120 feet over the past couple weeks without any discomfort. The lefty said he's regained full feeling in his fingers after developing the condition midway through spring training, resulting in him opening the campaign on the 60-day injured list. The 32-year-old said he's hopeful that he'll be ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment by mid-July before moving up to the big club by the end of that month.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Starting throwing program
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Cecil (wrist) will begin a throwing program Monday, Dave Sessions of MLB.com reports.
It's been a long road for Cecil to even get to this point, as he underwent a carpal tunnel-related surgery back in early April. The veteran reliever will now begin the process of building his arm strength back up and isn't expect to be back until early July at the earliest.
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Cardinals' Brett Cecil: Getting key medical checkup
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Cecil (wrist) has returned to St. Louis to meet with the doctor who performed his wrist surgery earlier this spring and could be cleared to resume throwing as soon as this week, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The veteran has been recovering from the early April procedure. Whenever he's able to gain medical clearance, Cecil will return to the team's spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida to begin a four-week throwing program to build up his arm strength. Assuming no setbacks in the process, Cecil is expected to be ready for activation around the All-Star break.
