Szczur announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he has elected to retire from professional baseball.

EDGE Analysis

A fifth-round pick of the Cubs in the 2010 first-year player draft, Szczur reached the big leagues for the first time in 2014 and spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues with Chicago and San Diego. The 32-year-old outfielder hadn't appeared in the majors since 2018 and posted a .618 OPS at the Triple-A level in the St. Louis organization in 2021, so his decision to step away from the game doesn't come as a major surprise. He retires with a .231/.312/.355 slash line and 12 home runs over 667 career big-league plate appearances. Szczur won his lone World Series ring as a member of the Cubs in 2016.

Szczur was released by the Cardinals on Monday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Szczur hasn't appeared in the majors since 2018, and he was unable to reach the big leagues after he hit .186 in 30 games with Triple-A Memphis to begin the year. The 31-year-old will now search for a new club going forward, but he could have to settle for another minor-league deal.

Szczur was reassigned to minor-league camp Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Szczur dealt with a quadriceps injury that kept him sidelined for two weeks in the middle of March. He's since returned to Grapefruit league action, but will not make the team as a non-roster invitee.

Szczur has not seen Grapefruit League action since March 2 due to a left quadriceps injury, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The non-roster invitee's chances of sticking past spring training are naturally taking a hit with his extended absence, although Szczur at least has 363 games on his big-league resume. The 31-year-old was hitless over four at-bats before going down, but manager Mike Shildt seemed to indicate Friday the issue may not linger much longer. "Very light quad issue, but significant enough to keep him out for a week," Shildt said. "Somewhat [of a] precaution, obviously some of it necessary."

Szczur signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Saturday as a non-roster invitee, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

EDGE Analysis

Szczur was released by the Phillies prior to the 2020 season after serving as a non-roster invitee during spring training. He'll be invited to the Cardinals' big-league camp in 2021 and will attempt to return to the majors for the first time since 2018.

Szczur was released by the Phillies on Sunday, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 30-year-old signed with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee in December, but he registered only one official at-bat before the shutdown of spring training. Szczur was limited to 44 games in 2019 due to a quadriceps injury and had a .322/.390/.577 slash line at Triple-A Reno.

Szczur agreed to a minor-league deal which includes an invitation to major-league spring training with the Phillies on Friday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The South Jersey native (and two-sport Villanova star) has a resume that should get him a look as the fifth outfielder but little more than that, as he's hit .231/.312/.355 over parts of five seasons in the majors. He didn't appear in the big leagues at all last season, spending much of his season sidelined with a quadriceps injury and hitting .322/.390/.577 in 44 games for Triple-A Reno when healthy.

Szczur was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Szczur signed a minor-league deal with Arizona in December but did little to earn a roster spot this spring with a .205/.222/.295 slash line in 44 at-bats. The 29-year-old saw 84 plate appearances with the Padres last season and posted a lackluster .532 OPS with 24 strikeouts.

Szczur signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

As a part of the deal, Szczur has received an invitation to big-league camp, and he's been assigned to Triple-A Reno. He appeared in 57 games for the Padres a season ago, posting a .187/.265/.267 slash line with six RBI and three stolen bases.

Szczur has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A El Paso.

EDGE Analysis

Szczur was designated for assignment last Sunday, but passed through waivers and will remain with the organization. With the four-man rotation of Wil Myers, Manuel Margot, Hunter Renfroe and Travis Jankowski currently holding down the San Diego outfield, there was no reason to keep Szczur on the 40-man, especially after he hit just .187 through 57 games this season. He'll need to turn things around in the minors to have a chance at a September call-up.