Veteran left-hander Brian Fuentes was placed on the restricted list by the Cardinals in mid-August for undisclosed personal reasons and did not return to St. Louis. Now Fuentes is calling it quits for good.
According to Sean Lynch of the Merced Sun-Star, the 37-year-old reliever has retired from baseball, officially ending a 12-year major league career.
“Ultimately, I was just having trouble with the time away from my family,” explained Fuentes. “I’ve been playing baseball for all of their lives, but I’d never been so far away as when I was in St. Louis. I think at one point I went like two months without seeing them. Coming home and being able to put them to bed at night made me realize what I was missing. ... Ultimately you start thinking about what you’re playing for.”
Fuentes will finish up having posted a 3.62 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 613 1/3 career innings. He totaled 204 saves while making stops in Seattle, Colorado, Anaheim, Minnesota, Oakland and ultimately St. Louis.