Yermin Mercedes' shocking retirement lasted just a day as he returned with the Chicago White Sox's Triple-A affiliate on Thursday. Mercedes was in uniform and on the active roster for the Charlotte Knights in their 5-3 loss to the Durham Bulls.
Mercedes grabbed the headlines on Wednesday after announcing his retirement in a now-deleted post. He posted an image with the words "it's over" and captioned, "I'm stepping aside from baseball indefinitely..! God bless you. It's over."
La Russa shocked by Mercedes' sudden retirement
That announcement stunned the White Sox organization, particularly manager Tony La Russa. The Hall of Fame skipper said after his team's loss to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday that he will be reaching out to Mercedes. He added that the 28-year-old still has a future in the big league.
Mercedes became a fan favorite earlier this season after his exploits with the White Sox. He carried the offensive cudgels for Chicago through the opening months of the season, batting .415 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 22 games played in April.
He delivered 34 hits during that span, 15 of which came in Chicago's first six games of the season. Mercedes became the first player in modern Major League Baseball history to begin his career with eight consecutive hits. And his early-season brilliance was duly rewarded as he was named the American League Rookie of the Month for April.
Things turned sour, however, in May when he angered La Russa by homering on a 3-0 pitch in the ninth inning of a game that the Chicago White Sox led 15-4. Mercedes' hot-hitting then cooled off, batting just .150 (16-for-107) over his final 31 games with the White Sox before being demoted to Triple-A side Charlotte on July 2.
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Mercedes apologizes to fans after retirement threat
Since returning to the Knights on July 3, Mercedes' slash line is at .298/.365/.632 with four homers and 10 RBIs. He went 0-for-2 on Wednesday before his stunning announcement and was replaced by pinch-hitter and fellow catcher Nate Nolan in the sixth inning of the Knights' 7-3 loss to Durham.
Mercedes' problems in the minors wasn't just his hitting though as he was charged with seven passed balls and allowed nine stolen bases through the nine games he played with the Knights. Mercedes' frustration with his demotion wasn't lost on La Russa, who said that "I understand you're at Triple-A, you've tasted the big leagues, you can get emotional."
Mercedes apologized to fans in an Instagram post on Thursday, saying that he's never going to give up and that he understands that this is a long process. He also said, "Baseball is in my blood and I thank God for guiding me to the right path and to make the correct decision." Mercedes concluded his post with, "I love everyone. I'm back."
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