Orioles' Chris Davis Announces MLB Retirement with 1 Year Left on $161M Contract

Four months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his hip, Chris Davis has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. 

Davis issued a statement through the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday:

Davis was owed $17 million this season and in 2022 as part of the seven-year, $161 million contract he signed in 2016. 

Per Dan Connolly of The Athletic, the Orioles will pay the remainder of Davis' salary and spread out his 2022 money over several years. 

A knee injury limited Davis to 16 games last season. The 35-year-old began this season on the 60-day injured list with a strained back. General manager Mike Elias announced in May that Davis had an arthroscopic procedure on his hip. 

Acquired by the Orioles in a 2011 trade with the Texas Rangers, Davis was an integral part of the franchise's return to prominence in the American League. 

Davis led Major League Baseball with 53 homers, 138 RBI and 370 total bases to finish third in AL MVP voting in 2013. He also led the league with 47 homers during the 2015 season. 

The Orioles finished .500 or better in five consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2016. They made the playoffs three times during that span, including an appearance in the 2014 American League Championship Series. 

A fifth-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2006, Davis finishes his career with a .233/.315/.459 slash line, 295 homers and 780 RBI in 1,417 regular-season games.