Longoria to officially retire as member of Rays

Evan Longoria is set to officially retire from Major League Baseball as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 39-year-old Longoria will sign a one-day deal with the team and retire during a pregame ceremony on June 7 ahead of a date with the Miami Marlins.

A native of Downey, CA, Longoria spent the first 10 years of his 16-year career with the team.

“Evan Longoria embodies what it means to be a Tampa Bay Ray. From the moment he stepped on the field, he brought excellence, leadership and a competitive spirit that shaped the identity of this franchise,” owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. “He, more than anyone, helped transform the Devil Rays into the Rays, and we are honoured to welcome him home as he retires in the uniform where it all began.”

Two years after being selected with the third overall pick of the MLB Amateur Draft, Longoria earned the nod as the American League Rookie of the Year with the team in 2008 when he batted ..272 with 27 home runs, 85 runs batted in and an OPS of .874.

In his decade with the club, Longoria was an All-Star on three occasions and won three Gold Gloves at third base.

Perhaps his most famous hit with the team came on the final day of the 2011 when he hit a walk-off jack in the 12th inning to capture an AL wild-card spot over the Boston Red Sox with whom the Rays had been tied.

Traded to the San Francisco Giants in the week before Christmas in 2017, Longoria finished his Rays career holding a host of team records including games played (1,435), runs scored (780), RBI (892), HR (261) and WAR (51.7).

After five seasons with the Giants, Longoria played one final season with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He finished his career batting .264 with 1,930 hits, 342 HR, 1,159 RBI, an .804 OPS and 58.9 WAR.