Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff retires from baseball at age 26

Alex Kirilloff, once considered the top prospect in the Twins’ organization, announced Thursday he is retiring from the sport after four injury-plagued seasons in the major leagues.

Kirilloff, who will turn 27 on Nov. 9, played 249 career games with the Twins but never more than 88 games in a season. He dealt with a complex surgery on his right wrist, cutting a bone in half, and he described the diagnosis of his season-ending back injury this year as a chronic stress fracture and a slipping vertebra.

A first baseman and corner outfielder, Kirilloff hit .248 with 27 homers and 116 RBI in his career.

“During my career, I’ve encountered numerous injuries, which led me to search for new ways to overcome the pain constantly,” said Kirilloff, who announced his retirement on social media before conducting a news conference. “These challenges have taken a toll on me mentally and physically. Over time, I’ve realized that my passion for playing the game has shifted.

“Baseball demands an ‘all-in’ approach, something I’ve brought to every season. However, I can no longer give it the total commitment it requires.”

Kirilloff was the No. 15 pick in the 2016 MLB amateur draft out of a Pittsburgh-area high school and got a $2.8 million bonus. He said the first thoughts of retirement entered his head when he underwent surgery on his wrist in 2022. It’s a rare surgery for baseball players, and he wondered what his life would look like without baseball if he didn’t recover from the surgery well.

He visited with three doctors for his current back condition — spondylolytic and spondylolisthesis — and his latest doctor in Miami is hopeful for a full recovery in six months to a year.

“Baseball has been my life up until this point every single year — travel, playing,” Kirilloff said. “It’s uncharted territory for me to take that next step and that next chapter. It’s a leap of faith for me. It’s something I feel like is the right time right now and something that will be able to let my body reset without the demands of baseball. I definitely see the silver lining.”

Kirilloff was the third player in baseball history to make his debut during a postseason game. He was called up for the 2020 wild-card round against the Houston Astros, recording a hit in his second at-bat.

He represented the Twins in the 2018 Futures Game, and he was a consensus top 100 prospect for multiple minor league seasons. In his rookie season in 2021, he hit the first two homers of his career in back-to-back at-bats, becoming the first Twins hitter since Pat Meares in 1994 to hit his first two homers in the same game. Kirilloff homered in each of the next two games, too.

Each of his big-league seasons, however, ended with an injury. His first two seasons were derailed by wrist surgeries. He was pulled off the Twins’ playoff roster in 2023 because of a right shoulder strain after he went hitless in 13 postseason at-bats. His last career hit, before his back injury, was a double at Yankee Stadium on June 6.

“I’m at peace for where I’m at right now,” Kirilloff said. “Life is difficult. A couple of years ago, if you would’ve told me we’d be having this conversation, I wouldn’t have believed you. But we’re here now. There are definitely things I’ll miss about baseball and about the game, but ultimately there’s a lot more that plays into a decision like this at this point in time. I’m definitely at peace with it.”

He made $1.35 million last season.

When Kirilloff told Twins coaches and staff about his choice to retire, they understood his reasoning and just cautioned that he wasn’t rushing into a decision.

“Everyone, as they get older, they all want to play for as long as they can,” Kirilloff said. “But I think it just comes to a point sometimes where there’s a lot of other things involved. There is family involved. And it comes to a point where you have to ask yourself: Should I keep playing or not? How does it affect my quality of life down the road?”

Kirilloff, the son of a baseball coach, is still processing what he wants to do in his post-baseball life. He said he likes real estate and that could be an option. For now, as he reflected on his career, he just wanted to thank people.

“The Twins were my only organization,” he said. “I’ve had some really special coaches and staff with the Twins, and they’ve been a pivotal part of my life so far. I’ll be able to take things into the next chapter, the next part of my life from what I’ve experienced, so I’m super grateful.”