Former Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder is being forced to retire after a second serious neck surgery.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported Tuesday that doctors won’t clear Fielder to play after having a second neck surgery on July 29 and it was determined then he wouldn’t be able to play again.
Fielder was a first-round draft pick of the Brewers in 2002 and played for the team from 2005 through 2011. In 998 games in Milwaukee, Fielder hit .282 with 230 home runs and 656 RBI.
Fielder went on to sign a nine-year, $214 million free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers. Detroit dealt Fielder to the Texas Rangers just two years later.
Fielder first had surgery in 2014 to fuse two herniated disks in his neck. He followed that procedure by hitting .305 with 23 home runs and 98 RBI last season, but his neck started to bother him again this season, this time in a different area.
Fielder was hitting .212 with eight homers and 44 RBI in 89 games before being shut down.
Fielder’s contract pays him $24 million a year through 2020.
