Las Vegas native ends baseball comeback bid with retirement
Las Vegan Drew Robinson announced his retirement from baseball Friday afternoon in a message posted on Twitter.
He will finish out this weekend’s home series for the Sacramento River Cats before transitioning to a new role as a mental-health advocate in the San Francisco Giants organization.
The Silverado High School graduate was attempting a comeback after a suicide attempt cost him his right eye.
He is hitting .128 with three home runs in 86 at-bats this season.
“I remember the day after my suicide attempt, the first thought I had toward choosing to live came from thinking about playing baseball again. I did that, with one eye, and I’m grateful for (my 11 pro seasons),” he wrote. “I can’t fully describe what these last 15 months have been like, but some of the most rewarding times were persevering through the physical and mental challenges I faced while attempting this comeback.”
Robinson, 29, was a fourth-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2010. He played 100 major league games with the Rangers and Cardinals over three seasons, hitting .202 with nine home runs.
His suicide attempt on April 16, 2020, came not long after he had signed with the Giants, only to have the baseball season shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robinson had hoped to make it back to the major leagues while using his platform to advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
“I couldn’t be more excited to remain in the game that saved my life,” he wrote. “While I’m proud of my progress, growth is a continuous journey. For the Giants to believe I can help other players address their emotional well-being more comfortably and gain insight from my lessons learned in truly humbling.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.