Chicago White Sox catcher Yermin Mercedes has backtracked his recent Instagram post suggesting he was poised to retire.
On Thursday, Mercedes made a second post on Instagram saying he was “back” and apologizing for his retirement claim. The Charlotte Knights, Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate, expect Mercedes in uniform Thursday as well.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa said after Wednesday’s game that he planned to reach out to Mercedes and assure the player that he has a future in the majors.
“Kind of understand, you’re in Triple-A, had a taste of the big leagues, and you can get emotional,” La Russa said, via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’ll reach out to him.
“It could be just a little frustration. I’ll explain to him that he has a big-league future.”
In a since-deleted Instagram post on Wednesday, Mercedes said he was stepping away from baseball, adding “it’s over.” The post came less than a month after Mercedes, who started the season scorching hot, was demoted in the midst of a prolonged slump. One turning point seemed to be when La Russa criticized Mercedes for homering on a 3-0 pitch from a position player in a blowout win in May.
The 28-year-old Mercedes is hitting .298 with four home runs in 15 games since his demotion.
