Simmons has announced his retirement from professional baseball, Jared Tims of Talkin' Halos reports.
Simmons, 34, last appeared in the big leagues in 2022, when he played in 34 games with the Cubs. He played in parts of 11 major-league seasons and will retire with a career .263/.312/.366 batting line with 70 home runs and four Gold Gloves.
Simmons was released by the Cubs on Sunday, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Simmons was activated off the injured list and designated for assignment Saturday, and he'll now head to free agency. The 32-year-old has appeared in only 35 games this year and had a .173/.244/.187 slash line in 85 plate appearances.
Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Designated for assignment
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Simmons (shoulder) was activated off the injured list and designated for assignment Saturday, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Simmons signed a $4 million deal with the Cubs in March and looked to have a chance at carving out an everyday role, but his time with the team will end after just 35 games thanks to a pair of shoulder injuries and overall ineffectiveness. When Simmons was able to play, he hit just .173/.244/.187. The rebuilding Cubs will turn to younger options down the stretch, but it's possible another team will take a chance on Simmons as a defense-first bench option.
Simmons (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Simmons took live batting practice Monday, and he's slated to play five innings and take three at-bats during Thursday's rehab game. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since July 11, but he'll likely be in the mix to rejoin the Cubs this weekend or early next week.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Takes live BP
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Simmons (shoulder) took live batting practice Monday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Simmons has been on the injured list with a right shoulder strain since mid-July, and a timetable for his return hasn't yet been revealed. It was encouraging to see him take part in batting practice Monday, but it's possible that he'll require a rehab assignment prior to rejoining the Cubs.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Placed on injured list
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Simmons was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain Thursday, retroactive to July 11, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Simmons started in just one of the last five games, and he's apparently been dealing with a shoulder issue that will keep him off the field for the team's upcoming four-game series against the Mets. Since the move was backdated to Monday, the 32-year-old will be eligible to return as early as July 22, when the Cubs resume play following the All-Star break. However, it's not yet clear how much time the middle infielder is expected to miss.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Sitting Saturday
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Simmons isn't starting Saturday against the Red Sox.
Simmons drew starts in the last two games and went 0-for-4 with a run and three walks. However, Christopher Morel will shift to second base while Narciso Crook starts in right field Saturday.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Out of Sunday's lineup
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Simmons is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Simmons started at second base Saturday and went 2-for-4, but he'll return to the bench Sunday. Jonathan Villar is picking up the start at second, while Nico Hoerner will cover shortstop. Simmons is mostly a reserve infielder at this point, which keeps his fantasy value fairly low, as does his .413 OPS for the season.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Starting again Friday
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Simmons is starting at second base and batting ninth in Friday's game against Atlanta.
The veteran infielder will make his second consecutive start at second base, as the Cubs are missing Nick Madrigal (groin) at the moment. Simmons hasn't done much with the bat this year, registering just a .167/.182/.167 slash line, so he probably can be avoided in most leagues.
Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: May be stuck in utility role
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Simmons is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles.
Now on the bench for the fifth time in seven games, Simmons appears to have shifted into a utility role following the recent returns of Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal from the injured list. Simmons will still spell Hoerner and Madrigal occasionally, but he's unlikely to see consistent enough playing time to make an impact even in deeper mixed leagues.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Riding pine in matinee
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Simmons isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.
Simmons went 0-for-4 during Friday's blowout loss to St. Louis, and he'll be on the bench for the third time in the last four games. Nick Madrigal is starting at the keystone and batting ninth.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Not in Thursday's lineup
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Simmons is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.
Simmons is 2-for-16 in his past seven appearances and will take a seat for the second straight game. Nick Madrigal will man the keystone in his place Thursday.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: On bench Wednesday
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Simmons isn't starting Wednesday against the Brewers.
Simmons started in the last two games and went 1-for-5 with a run, an RBI and three strikeouts. Nick Madrigal will start at the keystone and bat ninth.
Simmons will cede the starting shortstop job to Nico Hoerner going forward, with most of his playing time projected to come at second base, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
The motivation for this move is partly for the Cubs to evaluate Hoerner over a long stretch at shortstop before potentially signing a high-profile free agent shortstop this winter. It is also likely related to the fact that Simmons' shoulder is not 100 percent, and this makes it easier on him from a throwing standpoint. Jonathan Villar and Christopher Morel could also get work at second base, so Simmons probably won't be a true everyday player.
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Cubs' Andrelton Simmons: Records three hits in win
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Simmons went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Reds.
Simmons was productive from the bottom of the order, helping lead the Cubs to an easy 11-4 win. The shortstop is still known more for his defensive ability, and while he's starting to play more regularly after missing some time to begin the year due to a shoulder injury, fantasy managers shouldn't expect too many performances like this. Simmons still has just a .553 OPS for the season, and he finished with a .557 OPS across 131 games with Minnesota in 2021.
