Braves release Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard doesn’t want to retire from baseball. He may not have a choice. The former National League MVP was released from his minor league contract Monday by the Atlanta Braves after he struggled at Triple-A Gwinnett, a major blow to the 37-year-old slugger’s hopes of carrying on with another team after a long career with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Less than a week after Howard insisted “there’s more in the tank,” the Braves decided otherwise.

He lasted only 11 games with the G-Braves, hitting .184 with one homer and five RBIs.

The Braves were hoping Howard could bolster an anemic bench and serve as designated hitter in interleague games. But his options were limited, since he could only play first base and Atlanta already has Freddie Freeman.

The Braves instead completed a deal with Minnesota for utility player Danny Santana. The Twins received left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman and cash.

Howard was once among baseball’s most feared hitters.

In 2006, his first full season as Philadelphia’s starting first baseman, he put together one of the greatest stat lines in baseball history: 58 homers, 149 RBIs, a .313 average and an MVP award.

The Phillies would go on to win five straight NL East titles, a stretch that included two trips to the World Series and a championship in 2008. Howard averaged 41 homers and 129 RBIs during that run, finishing in the top 10 of the MVP voting every season.

But his career was forever altered on the last play of the 2011 division series against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he tore his Achilles tendon running out a grounder.

He hasn’t been the same since.