This was Fielder’s second neck surgery, after he underwent a neck fusion surgery back in 2014.
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Texas Rangers slugger Prince Fielder wept Wednesday while announcing the end of his 12-season career because of health issues.
Fielder underwent neck surgery to fix a disc herniation in July, and his medical condition left him unable to obtain medical clearance to return to the sport.
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Prince Fielder, a six-time All-Star whose 319 career home runs match the total of his father, Cecil, likely has played his final game due to a chronic neck injury. Prince’s two young sons sat with him at the podium, mostly with their heads down and also shedding tears.
His teammates joined him in the interview room to show support during Prince’s announcement.
After a down year with the Detroit Tigers, Fielder was traded to the Rangers for Ian Kinsler. Fielder played 169 games for Beloit over 2002 and 2003, batting a combined.277 with 29 doubles, 123 RBI, 81 bases on balls, and 30 homers.
Besides A-Rod and Fielder, the Los Angeles Dodgers cut outfielder Carl Crawford with him owed $33.6 million through the end of next season.
In 2015, Fielder was named the AL Comeback player of the year, hitting.305 with 23 home runs and 98 RBI.
After being limited to 42 games in his Rangers debut in 2014, Fielder talked about how much he missed baseball and returned last season with a revived passion for the game.
Over his 11-year baseball career, Fielder has hit 319 home runs, the same amount as his father, Cecil Fielder, did throughout his baseball career.
Just previous year, it appeared as though Fielder might be able to play through his neck problems. He has four years remaining on a nine-year, $214 million contract.
He was placed on the 60-day disabled list on July 20 and two doctors recommended that the Texas designated-hitter should have surgery and not play again.
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Fielder is just 32, and hasn’t played for the Rangers since July 18th. He won’t have been on the field for a World Series championship, but he stands to pick up a ring this year if the American League West leading Rangers can finish the deal for the first time.
