Nationals reliever Glover announces retirement

WASHINGTON -- Nationals reliever Koda Glover announced his retirement on Twitter on Monday afternoon, ending a nearly three-year battle with injuries that resulted in him missing the entire 2019 season.

Glover’s unexpected retirement comes ahead of Monday’s non-tender deadline, with him questionable to receive a contract from the Nationals. Washington announced it had tenured contracts to both infielder Wilmer Difo and reliever Hunter Strickland earlier in the day.

“I have loved this game from the moment I took my first steps" Glover wrote in a tweet. "And I will continue to love it for the rest of my life."

Glover’s career advanced quickly after Washington selected him in the eighth round of the 2015 Draft out of Oklahoma State University, debuting in D.C. a little more than a year later, on July 20, 2016. He made 19 appearances that season and was considered to factor into the team's long-term bullpen plans, perhaps as a future closer.

Glover got a shot as the Nats’ closer in 2017, picking up eight saves in 23 outings, before injuries began to plague the hard-throwing Glover, whose fastball averaged 97 mph as a rookie.

Over the past three seasons, the 26-year-old spent considerable time on the injured list, battling back, hip, shoulder and forearm ailments. Glover finished the 2018 season strong, with a 1.59 ERA in his final 15 outings, but he sustained a right forearm strain the following spring, and after several setbacks, he didn't appear in a game in '19.

Glover finishes his abbreviated career with a 4.55 ERA and 42 strikeouts in just 55 1/3 innings spread across 63 big league games.