Not ready to retire, Bautista awaits opportunity

MIAMI -- José Bautista is not quite ready to hang up his spikes.

The Dominican-born slugger, who last played in the Majors in 2018, says he is “enjoying life” while he waits to see if he gets another shot at extending his playing career.

“I’m focused on spending a lot of time with my family,” Bautista said, in Spanish, at the 12th annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic in Miami. “We’ll see what happens. I can’t predict the future. I really don’t know what’s going to happen with my career.”

Bautista, who hit .203 with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .727 OPS in 122 games for the Braves, Mets and Phillies in 2018, says he didn’t play in '19 because the right offer never came along.

“That’s why you didn’t see me on the field, in Spring Training or during the regular season,” said Bautista, 39. “The market has changed a lot, especially for guys my age.”

Nonetheless, Bautista says he continues to work out and has no plans to officially retire.

“I don’t think that’s necessary right now,” he said. “I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I haven’t considered it yet.”

In 15 Major League seasons, Bautista has a .247 batting average with 344 home runs and 975 RBIs in 1,798 games for eight teams. He had his best years with the Blue Jays, for whom he hit .253 with 288 homers in 10 seasons from 2008-17.

“I’ll be happy and will accept whatever happens,” Bautista said.