Longtime Detroit Tigers catcher and son of GM Al, Alex Avila announced he will be retiring after the season, according to multiple reports. The left-handed-hitting backstop is with the Washington Nationals this season, putting together a .179./.347/..333 line across 29 games.
Avila dealt with a calf injury as well as a ‘COVID-19-related’ stint which kept him out for essentially the entire months of July and August. Despite his low batting average and limited playing time, though, Avila was able to amass a 0.7 bWAR, at least in part thanks to his perennially strong on-base numbers.
News: Veteran catcher Alex Avila will be retiring at the end of the 2021 season, a person with knowledge told @TheAthleticMLB.