ORIOLES SLUGGER DAVIS RETIRES

Baltimore Orioles first baseman and two-time MLB home run king Chris Davis announced his retirement Thursday following recent hip surgery. Davis, 35, led the majors with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs and made the American League All-Star team in 2013. He topped the big leagues again two years later with 47 home runs. Davis is currently on the 60-day injured list and has not played since Sept. 11, 2020. He had arthroscopic surgery to repair his left hip labrum in Dallas in May. “After an extended time dealing with my injury and recent hip surgery, I informed the Orioles about my decision to retire effective today,” Davis wrote in a statement. Davis retires with a .233 lifetime average, 295 home runs, 780 RBIs and 1,852 strikeouts in 1,417 games with the Texas Rangers (2008-11) and Orioles. He led the majors in strikeouts in back-to-back seasons in 2015-16. Davis signed a seven-year, US$161-million contract with Baltimore in 2016. USA Today reported that he will receive his full $23-million salary for 2022 — the final year of the deal — but it will be deferred and paid over three years.