Yankees Troy Tulowitzki calls it a career after 13 seasons

Troy Tulowitzki’s body would only allow him to play in five games for the Yankees this season. And so on Thursday, Tulo retired as a player to pursue an assistant coaching job at the University of Texas.

Despite being owed some $38 million, the Blue Jays released Troy Tulowitzki this spring to usher in a full-blown youth movement. So the Yankees decided to take a minimal $555k risk to sign the five-time All-Star because Didi Gregorius was still recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery.

Remember, this was before Miguel Andujar’s season-ending injury — when his defense was a significant concern, Gio Ursehla was nothing more than minor league depth, and DJ LeMahieu wouldn’t sign with the Yanks for another 12 days.

So we hoped for the best from Tulo, who grew up idolizing Derek Jeter. Unfortunately, the two-time Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger only put on the iconic pinstripes five times before suffering a strained left calf on April 3.

Come June, Tulowitzki was working his way back in rehab games; however, he suffered a setback and was moved to the 60-day IL on June 10. Soon after, manager Aaron Boone let it be known that Tulo had decided to head back to his home in Southern California. An ominous sign indeed.

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After playing in only 66 games in 2017 due to a severe ankle issue — and missing all of last season after surgery to both heels, the man who racked up the fifth-most games played in Rockies history (10 seasons) hit a paltry .182/.308/.545 with one home run in 13 plate appearances with the Yanks before pulling the ripcord on a career that can only be described as ‘what if?’

Known for his slick-fielding, excellent throwing arm and fearless approach, Tulo’s electric bat was often the real headline grabber. Though he only played 120+ games in seven of 13 big league seasons, Tulowitzki’s 162-game stats are stellar: .290/.361/.495 with 175 hits, 33 doubles, 28 homers and 98 RBIs.

A first-round pick in 2005 out of Long Beach State, Tulowitzki has already found his next venture, as he’ll replace Phil Haig as a volunteer assistant coach on the University of Texas Baseball team.

Though Tulowitzki’s time with the Yankees was brief — and not many people will feel sorry for a person that made millions of dollars playing a game, I would have loved to see what Tulo was truly capable of if his body didn’t continually betray him.

He was a natural and could have been a generational talent. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game and forever changed the course of his career.

In the end, Tulo was genuine in his closing remarks as he officially shut the door on his playing days. Per the New York Post:

“I want to thank the Yankees’ organization and [GM] Brian Cashman for giving me the opportunity to wear the Yankees’ uniform and live out another childhood dream,’’ Tulowitzki said. “I wish that my health had allowed for a different ending to that chapter.’’