Washington Nationals veteran Howie Kendrick said that he hasn't decided whether to retire or try to return in 2021 for what would be his 16th major league season. Kendrick, 37, revealed Friday that he would have stopped playing after this season if it hadn't wound up being disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
"I was thinking about retiring after this year,'' Kendrick said, "but because of COVID, it kind of raised the question of, like, 'Man, do you want to go out like this? Do you want 2020 to be any worse?'''
The first baseman and designated hitter, who went on the injured list with a left hamstring injury on Sept. 9 and then was shut down for the season, said he wants to get healthy and talk to his family before deciding whether to extend his career.
Kendrick hit .275 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 25 games this season. Kendrick is a career .294 hitter with 127 homers and 724 RBIs.
Last year, he was the MVP of the NL Championship Series and hit the go-ahead homer in Game 7 of the World Series to help the Nationals win the franchise's first title.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.