BALTIMORE -- Veteran infielder Rick Burleson said Friday he likely will retire following his release by the Baltimore Orioles.
'I feel I had an opportunity to play, but I didn't produce,' said the four-time American League All-Star. 'I will probably retire, but I am going to go home and think about it.'
Burleson, 36, was hitting .209 this season with two home runs and 14 RBI in 62 games.
'I regret things haven't worked out better for Rick,' Orioles General Manager Hank Peters said. 'I have a high regard for his intense desire to play the game and his dedication to it.'
A replacement for Burleson will be named after Friday night's game against the Minnesota Twins, Peters said.
'I am disappointed it had to end this way,' Burleson said. 'Where the team is in the standings (sixth place in the American League East), they didn't think I was the going to be of any value to them. I am disappointed that I didn't have the opportunity to show the people of Baltimore that I'm a good player.'
Burleson, a standout fielder with a .273 career batting average, played his first seven big-league seasons with the Boston Red Sox -- the final three as an All-Star infielder.
He was traded along with third baseman Butch Hobson to the California Angels in 1981 and made the All-Star team, hitting .293 for the season.
Burleson, due to a series of injuries to his right shoulder, played in only 51 games with California from 1982 through 1985. Despite winning United Press International's Comeback Player of the Year award for hitting .284 in 1986, the Angels did not sign Burleson for the 1987 season.
Baltimore signed Burleson as a free agent in January, hoping he could give some stability to an infield that committed 85 errors last season.
The Orioles entered Friday at 33-52, 19 games out of first place.
