Red Sox DH David Ortiz to retire after 2016 season

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has officially announced his retirement for after the 2016 season.

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz will retire after the 2016 season, he announced on Wednesday in a video posted on The Players Tribune.

“I thought a lot about it and I think for every single one of us athletes-wise, we all have a time at some point,” Ortiz said. “Life is based on different chapters and I think I’m ready to experience the next one in my life.”

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal first reported Ortiz’s retirement on Tuesday.

Ortiz, who will enter his 20th MLB season in 2016, is a career .284 hitter with 503 home runs and 1,641 RBIs. In August, he became the 27th player in MLB history and the fourth Red Sox player to hit 500 career home runs.

[youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKHQA3N5OD0]

Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins from 1997 to ’02, and has played for the Red Sox since 2003.

The 39-year-old is a three-time World Series champion with the Red Sox, having won in 2004, ’07 and ’13.

“I would like people to remember me as a guy who was part of the family—a guy was trying to do the best not only on the field but with everyone around him,” Ortiz said. 

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Ortiz, a nine-time All Star and six-time Silver Slugger, was the World Series MVP in 2013, after hitting .688 with two home runs and six RBIs against the St. Louis Cardinals.

- Kayla Lombardo