ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 14: The New York logo is displayed on a hat during the MLB game between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves on August 14, 2023 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
For many veteran major leaguers, retirement doesn’t arrive with a formal announcement. Instead, it begins with fewer workouts, fewer phone calls from clubs and an acceptance that the next chapter of life may be waiting beyond the mound.
That appears to be where former New York Yankees pitcher Shane Greene finds himself after spending parts of 10 seasons in the majors, including two separate stints in the Bronx and an All-Star campaign that established him as one of baseball’s top late-inning relievers.
Speaking recently on the “Baseball & Coffee Conversations” podcast with host and former big-league reliever Adam Ottavino, Greene stopped short of officially retiring, but he revealed that he has taken a step back from a career that included a notable, decade-long stint in the majors.
“We’re not using the R word yet,” Greene said on the podcast, on whether he is officially retired. “But we are not actively training to pitch. So life is good.”
New York Yankees’ Former Pitcher Shane Greene Saw Inspiring Surge To MLB Draft
Greene’s career was anything but conventional. Before becoming an All-Star reliever, he overcame modest recruiting attention and major elbow surgery before his professional baseball journey officially began with the Yankees.
“Greene threw 94 (at a predraft workout), and the Yankees went on to draft him, out of nowhere, in the 15th round,” The Athletic’s Max Bultman recalled in 2018. “As a high school senior, he drew interest from just two colleges, and only one — the University of West Florida — offered him a scholarship. He enrolled, pitched 28 innings and started noticing some elbow issues. The recommendation was a scary one: Tommy John surgery.”
The Yankees took a chance on Greene in the 2010 MLB Draft, and he eventually reached the majors with the team four years later. He went on to the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, before returning to the Yankees for a single game in the 2022 season. He then joined the Chicago Cubs before leaving affiliated baseball and pitching in the Mexican League earlier this season.
2-Time New York Yankees Pitcher Shane Green Steps Away From Playing Career
Greene’s career briefly brought him back to a big-league mound for the Yankees when the team lost former starter Michael King to season-ending injury in 2022.
Whether Greene ever officially announces his retirement remains to be seen. For now, however, his comments suggest he’s comfortable stepping away from the daily grind of preparing to pitch.
After overcoming long odds simply to reach the majors and enjoying a career that few projected when he entered professional baseball as a 15th-round pick, Greene appears ready to embrace whatever comes next — even if he isn’t quite ready to use the word “retired.”