Chicago White Sox outfielder Michael Taylor announced his retirement Tuesday in a move that surprised the team and shocked some of his teammates.
The former fifth-round pick out of Stanford was acquired by the White Sox last season from the Oakland Athletics. He saw action in only 11 games with Chicago last season and had played in only 37 big league games since 2011.
Taylor, 29, was rated as a top-20 prospect coming out of college and had a stellar minor-league career. But that success never translated in the majors.
Chicago added outfielder Engel Beltre to the major league camp to fill Taylor’s spot.