World Series champion Saltalamacchia announces retirement

Switch-hitting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in a statement released through The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Monday.

A veteran of 12 major-league seasons, the 33-year-old played an integral part in the 2013 World Series as the Boston Red Sox backstop. Over 121 games during the regular season, Saltalamacchia authored a .804 OPS with 14 home runs and 40 doubles.

"I want to especially thank Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington, and ownership of the Boston Red Sox for believing in me so much that they brought me over to fill the shoes of my childhood idol and mentor Jason Varitek," Saltalamacchia said in the statement. "I can tell you playing beside him and putting on the Red Sox jersey and playing the position of Red Sox greats like the captain and Carlton Fisk was humbling and an honor!! To win a World Series is one thing but to win it in front of the iconic baseball fans of Boston is truly my most memorable moment!"

Saltalamacchia most recently made appearances for the Detroit Tigers, factoring into five games down the stretch of the 2018 campaign. A first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2003, Saltalamacchia also had stints with the Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks.