Hosmer announced Wednesday via social media that he has retired from professional baseball.
In addition to confirming his retirement, Hosmer also announced the creation of his own media company, which will host his podcast. The 34-year-old's decision to bring an end to his playing days wasn't unexpected, as Hosmer had been a free agent since being released by the Cubs last May. A four-time Gold Glove winner and one-time All-Star, Hosmer ends his career with a lifetime .276/.335/.427 slash line to go with 198 home runs, 893 RBI, 812 runs and 76 stolen bases over 1,689 games across 13 seasons with the Royals, Padres, Red Sox and Cubs. He won his only World Series title with Kansas City in 2015.
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Eric Hosmer: Released by Chicago
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The Cubs released Hosmer on Thursday.
Hosmer's struggles paired with the arrival of Matt Mervis pushed Hosmer off the Cubs' roster Friday. The Padres are still responsible for paying most of the $32 million left on his contract, meaning Hosmer will likely have plenty of suitors to pick from.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Designated for assignment
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Hosmer was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Friday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
The 33-year-old first baseman was slashing just .234/.280/.330 through 31 games (100 plate appearances) this season and had barely seen the field since the promotion of Matt Mervis. Hosmer is still owed about $32 million on his contract, but the Padres are on the hook for the majority of that. Chicago signed him to a deal worth the MLB minimum in January.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Relegated to bench
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Hosmer will serve in a bench role moving forward, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Hosmer's move to the bench comes in the wake of the Cubs calling up top prospect Matt Mervis from Triple-A Iowa. Mervis will start at first base Friday against the Marlins in his MLB debut, and he's expected to operate as the Cubs' primary option at that spot while Trey Mancini serves as the team's designated hitter. Hosmer has retained his spot on the roster for now, but it's difficult to see him sticking around over the long haul with Mervis now around.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Playing time in trouble?
Rotowire
With top prospect Matt Mervis expected to get called up from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, Hosmer could be in danger of losing playing time.
Mervis is expected to see everyday playing time between first base and designated hitter, which could squeeze Hosmer out of the lineup more regularly, The latter has an uninspiring .657 OPS and only two home runs over 26 games, so it makes sense that the Cubs want to promote the powerful Mervis, who has a .924 OPS at Triple-A. Hosmer's already meager fantasy value could be in line to take a significant hit.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Resting against lefty
Rotowire
Hosmer is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
With a lefty (MacKenzie Gore) on the bump for Washington, the lefty-hitting Hosmer will hit the bench in the series opener. Trey Mancini will replace Hosmer at first base.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Hosmer is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Marlins.
With left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the mound for the Marlins, Hosmer will take a seat. Trey Mancini will take over at first base while Nelson Velazquez enters the lineup at designated hitter and bats ninth in the series opener.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Goes deep Thursday
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Hosmer went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Padres.
Hosmer hit his second home run of the season in the second inning, which is a good sign in what's been an underwhelming start to his time with the Cubs. The first baseman has a .655 OPS, which would be a new career low. Hosmer simply isn't hitting for much power any more, as he recorded a career-worst eight home runs in 104 games last year.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Day off Friday
Rotowire
Hosmer will take a seat Friday versus the Dodgers.
Hosmer will get a breather after he went 2-for-10 with a solo homer and four runs scored over the last three contests. Trey Mancini will draw the start at first base and bat seventh against Los Angeles southpaw Julio Urias.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Hits first home run
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Hosmer went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in Wednesday's 12-2 win over the Athletics.
Hosmer's eighth-inning home run, his first with Chicago, was part of an offensive outburst that included six runs in the last two innings. The first baseman is off to a bit of a slow start with just a .649 OPS across 15 games, though he has contributed 10 RBI. Hosmer should continue to see regular playing time, and with the Cubs clicking on offense right now, he could be primed for better production moving forward.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Not starting Monday
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Hosmer is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Hosmer will get a night off for the second time in four games against southpaw Kyle Muller. Trey Mancini will get the start at first base in his absence with Patrick Wisdom operating at designated hitter.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Sitting against southpaw
Rotowire
Hosmer is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Hosmer started the past six games and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale with lefty Julio Urias pitching for Los Angeles. He went 4-for-19 with two walks, three RBI and two runs during that six-game span. Trey Mancini will work at first base while Luis Torrens serves as the designated hitter.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: On bench against southpaw
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Hosmer is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.
Hosmer will hit the bench for the second time this season with lefty Martin Perez pitching Saturday for Texas. Trey Mancini will cover first base while Luis Torrens serves as the designated hitter.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Takes seat Sunday
Rotowire
Hosmer is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Brewers.
Hosmer manned first base in the first two games of the season but will head to the bench Sunday after he went 0-for-7 with two strikeouts. Trey Mancini will move to first base while Luis Torrens serves as the designated hitter in the series finale.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Contact hitter so far this spring
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Hosmer has gone 6-for-21 (.286) in Cactus League action so far, though five of those hits have been singles.
Hosmer has one double and no home runs in spring training. The consistent contact has been encouraging, but the lack of power could last into the regular season, as the first baseman hit a career-low eight long balls last year in 104 games. Hosmer should see regular playing time for the Cubs, and he'll have some fantasy value if he maintains a high average, though fantasy managers will surely want to see an uptick in home runs.
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Cubs' Eric Hosmer: Lands with Cubs
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Hosmer and the Cubs agreed to a contract Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The exact terms of Hosmer's deal with Chicago aren't clear, but the 33-year-old is presumably joining the Cubs on a short-term pact with the expectation that he settles in as the team's Opening Day first baseman. The addition of Hosmer could hurt top prospect Matt Mervis' chances of breaking camp with the big club, though Mervis could still be an option at the Cubs' unsettled designated-hitter spot. While splitting time between San Diego and Boston in 2022, Hosmer slashed a pedestrian .268/.334/.382 with a career-low eight home runs to go with 44 RBI and 38 runs.
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Eric Hosmer: Officially released by Boston
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Hosmer was released by the Red Sox on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
The 33-year-old was designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week and will now hit the open market. Hosmer appeared in 104 games last season between Boston and San Diego, and he had a .268/.334/.382 slash line with eight home runs, 44 RBI and 38 runs scored.
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Red Sox's Eric Hosmer: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Hosmer was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Friday.
The Red Sox were only on the hook for the veteran minimum portion of Hosmer's salary after acquiring him at the trade deadline from the Padres. However, they've ultimately decided his 40-man roster spot is best used on another player, and he'll presumably be released after clearing waivers. Hosmer has posted a .725 OPS with 20 home runs over the last two seasons. With Hosmer out of the picture, Triston Casas has a clear path to the first base job.
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Red Sox's Eric Hosmer: Opting in
Rotowire
Hosmer opted into the final three years and $39 million of his contract Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Hosmer signed an eight-year deal with the Padres prior to the 2018 season. While the contract allowed him to return to the open market after five years, his downturn in performance means that wouldn't be a wise move. Since signing the contract, he's hit .265/.325/.409. That's good for a league-average 100 wRC+, a mark that isn't good enough for a starting first baseman.
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Red Sox's Eric Hosmer: Makes return from IL
Rotowire
The Red Sox reinstated Hosmer (back) from the 10-day injured list Monday.
After a 38-game absence due to low-back inflammation, Hosmer will make his return to the Red Sox for the team's final three games of the regular season. The veteran won't be a lock to start all three games for Boston, as the Red Sox may prefer to stick with top prospect Triston Casas as their primary starter at first base.
