Ryan Westmoreland has reached the end of his baseball road, adding the latest chapter to one of the saddest stories in recent Red Sox history.
The former Sox prospect announced his retirement Wednesday in an email to several media members, according to the Providence Journal.
“With a clear mind and heart, as well as the unwavering support and friendship of my family, friends, agent(s), doctors, therapists and the Boston Red Sox, I have decided to voluntarily retire as a professional baseball player,” Westmoreland wrote in the email, according to the Providence Journal.
Westmoreland, 22, underwent brain surgery in 2010, and he’s been attempting a comeback since. He hit a sizable bump in the road last summer when he was forced to undergo a second surgery in 2010.
“In my heart, I know that I have worked as hard as one possibly could to overcome the obstacles presented by this unfortunate series of events,” he added. “It is with that confidence that I am comfortable turning the page, and searching for ‘the reason’ that this has happened. I believe that there is a plan for me that will utilize my experiences, however painful some may have been, to do something special in my life. It is time for me to find that path, and to pursue it with the same focus and effort that I pursued the dream of playing professional baseball.”
The 2008 fifth-round pick played in just 60 games as a professional. He hit .296 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 2009 with Single-A Lowell.
Westmoreland also thanked all of those who helped him along the way. Read more of the email by clicking here.
