The Rays announced today that Colby Rasmus will “step away from baseball” and Marc Topkins of the Tampa Bay Times reports Rasmus isn’t expected to return to the team this season.
The team gave no explanation for Rasmus’s sudden departure, and said it would not be answering questions or releasing further statements. Rasmus was having a good season until mid-June, when he began experiencing pain in the hip he had surgery on last offseason.
Rasmus, 30, was signed to a one-year contract in Tampa Bay this offseason; he was hitting .281/.318/.579/.896 with nine home runs in the 37 games he played this season.