Travis Shaw’s baseball journey has come to an end, as the former Boston Red Sox fan favorite announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Monday.
Shaw, who played in 245 games with the Red Sox across two stints, played his final game on April 28, 2022, before being designated for assignment by Boston the next day. He spent the remainder of that season as a free agent.
The 32-year-old took to social media to make the announcement, which you can read below:
For the last eight years, I’ve been blessed to live out my childhood dreams of playing Major League Baseball,” Shaw wrote. “But today, that dream comes to an end! 12 years ago, being a 9th-round pick, I would never have imagined what this game provided me. The memories will last a lifetime. To everyone that made an impact on my career (the list is endlessly long), I will forever be indebted to you! As this chapter closes, the only two words that come to mind is THANK YOU!
Shaw originally was drafted by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, eventually making his debut with Boston in May of 2015. He spent the remainder of 2015 and all of 2016 on the Red Sox roster before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Shaw thrived early on in Milwaukee, belting over 30 homers in each of his first two seasons before seeing his production slip. He left the Brewers to join the Toronto Blue Jays for shortened 2020 season but eventually found his way back to Milwaukee, then Boston, to round out his final two seasons.
Shaw played in 733 major league games, tallying just under 2700 plate appearances while slashing .237/.319/.437 with 114 home runs, 127 doubles, 366 RBIs and 310 runs scored — perhaps best being known for his walk-off grand slam in 2021.
