Yankees' Derek Jeter: 'I never said I didn't think I could play anymore'

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said the reason for his retirement is not because he can't play at a high level anymore, ESPN's Andrew Marchand reports.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said the reason for his retirement is not because he can't play at a high level anymore, ESPN's Andrew Marchand reports.

Jeter, 40, is batting .256 with four home runs and 46 RBI this season. During the final homestand of his career, he is batting .450 with four two-hit games.

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“I never said I didn’t think I could play anymore,” Jeter said. “This is the time for me to call it a career after this season. Some times things are difficult. Some times they come a little bit easier -- not easy, but they come a little bit easier at times. You’ve got to continue to battle. This is a game of adjustments. I’ll continue to make those adjustments until I’m out of games.”

Jeter is playing the final home games of his career at Yankee Stadium this week against the Baltimore Orioles. A weekend series against the Boston Red Sox will mark the end of his 20-year career with the Yankees.

The Yankees are 81-75 on the season and 4.0 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the final Wild Card spot.

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- Paul Palladino