Former Mets, Cubs shortstop announces immediate retirement at 29

Shortstop Jackson Cluff, whose fielding talent led him to the Triple-A level of the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs organizations, announced his immediate retirement from baseball in a post to his Instagram account on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

“After 8 professional seasons and a lifetime spent chasing this dream, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the game,” Cluff wrote on Instagram. “It’s hard to put into words what baseball has meant to me and how grateful I am for everything it has given me. But, I’m really excited for what’s next. What a ride it’s been.”

Cluff, 29, played 80 games for the Syracuse Mets and Iowa Cubs in 2026, compiling a .164/.295/.306 slash line. In 2026 with the Washington Nationals‘ Triple-A affiliate, he hit a career-high 12 home runs and slashed .242/.349/.422 in 103 games for the Rochester Red Wings.

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The Mets signed Cluff to a minor league contract in November 2025. He appeared in 10 Grapefruit League games with New York and went 3 for 18 (.167) with five walks. But the Mets released Cluff in August after he hit .169 in 62 games.

Originally a sixth-round draft pick by the Nationals out of BYU in the 2019 MLB Draft, Cluff was the Nationals’ No. 17 prospect two years later, according to MLB Pipeline.

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Cluff was named Defensive Player of the Year for his work with the Arizona Fall League’s Surprise Saguaros in 2021.

“To the @nationals, thank you for taking a chance on the kid from BYU that was ‘too old’ for the draft,” Cluff wrote in his Instagram post. “To the @mets, thank you for giving me an opportunity no others were willing to do. To the @cubs, thank you for giving me a chance to finish out my career in the midst of my most challenging season.”

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