Jackson Cluff’s run in professional baseball has come to an end.
The former Mets and Cubs shortstop announced on Wednesday, Oct. 21, that he is retiring immediately at 29 after eight seasons in the game. Cluff made the announcement on Instagram, where he reflected on the end of a long pursuit and signaled that he is ready for whatever comes next.
“After 8 professional seasons and a lifetime spent chasing this dream, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the game,” Cluff wrote on Instagram. “It’s hard to put into words what baseball has meant to me and how grateful I am for everything it has given me.
But, I’m really excited for what’s next. What a ride it’s been.”
Cluff spent time in the Triple-A ranks with both New York and Chicago, and his final season in 2026 was split between the Syracuse Mets and Iowa Cubs. Across 80 games, he hit .164/.295/.306.
His 2025 season with the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester was his strongest at the plate. In 103 games for the Red Wings, he produced a career-high 12 home runs and posted a .242/.349/.422 line.
The Mets brought him in on a minor-league deal in November 2025, and he got into 10 Grapefruit League games with the club. He went 3-for-18 with five walks in that spring work.
New York later released him in August after he hit .169 in 62 games, and the Cubs picked him up after that. He then played 18 games for Iowa and batted .148.
Cluff entered pro ball as a sixth-round pick by the Nationals out of BYU in the 2019 MLB Draft. By 2021, he had risen to No. 17 in the Nationals’ prospect rankings, according to MLB Pipeline.
His defense was a calling card, and in 2021 he was named Defensive Player of the Year for his work with the Arizona Fall League’s Surprise Saguaros.
In his retirement note, Cluff made sure to thank each organization that gave him a shot. “To the @nationals, thank you for taking a chance on the kid from BYU that was ‘too old’ for the draft,” Cluff wrote.
He added, “To the @mets, thank you for giving me an opportunity no others were willing to do. To the @cubs, thank you for giving me a chance to finish out my career in the midst of my most challenging season.”
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