ARLINGTON, Texas — Right-handed pitcher Shawn Tolleson announced Tuesday his retirement from the Texas Rangers effective immediately.
The former 2015 Rangers’ Pitcher of the Year spent most of the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow sustained in May 2017. Tolleson spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays on their 60-day disabled list for all of 2017, and then he signed a minor league deal to return to Texas in December 2017.
Tolleson experienced a setback in his rehabilitation in 2018 when he strained his right flexor tendon on Jan. 11.
“My intention was to compete for a position on the Rangers’ Major League pitching staff in 2019,” said Tolleson via a release from the Rangers. “With that no longer being a possibility, I have decided this is the right time to retire from professional baseball and move on to the next chapter of my life.
“I want to thank the Texas Rangers organization for all of their assistance in my rehab over the last year. It was a dream come true to pitch for my hometown team for three years, and my family and I will always be grateful for that opportunity.”
Tolleson was a local product who graduated from Allen High School and attended Baylor. Texas acquired him on a waiver claim from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, and Tolleson posted an 11-7 record with 46 saves and a 3.84 ERA in 174 relief appearances with Texas. For his career, the former Bear posted a 14-8 mark with a 3.92 ERA in 215 major league games with Los Angeles (2012-13) and Texas (2014-16).