Alex Avila, 34, and approaching the end of his 13th major league season, announced on Sunday afternoon that he would be retiring at the end of the 2021 campaign.
Avila, who signed on with the Washington Nationals this winter on a 1-year/$1.5M deal, was limited by injuries, missing an extended period when he suffered bilateral calf strains after he played second base in the majors for the first time on July 1st, along with two, separate, trips to the COVID-IL, first in April and then again in August. But while he was limited by the health issues, the veteran backstop did what he could to help behind the scenes, especially after the fire sale at the trade deadline which saw the Nationals acquire two new catchers, Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams, who figure to handle the catching duties in D.