Jackson Cluff’s baseball career is over. The 29-year-old shortstop announced on Wednesday, Oct. 21, that he is stepping away from the game immediately after eight professional seasons.
“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’s path took him through the Nationals’ system before brief stops with the Mets and Cubs organizations. In 2026, he played 80 games for the Syracuse Mets and Iowa Cubs, putting together a .164/.295/.306 slash line. A year earlier, in 2025 with Washington’s Triple-A affiliate, he turned in the best power season of his career, hitting 12 home runs and posting a .242/.349/.422 line in 103 games for the Rochester Red Wings.
New York brought him in on a minor-league contract in November 2025. He also appeared in 10 Grapefruit League games with the Mets and went 318 (3-for-18.167) with five walks.
The Mets later released him in August after he hit .169 in 62 games, and the Cubs picked him up soon after. His time with Iowa included 18 games and a .148 average.
Cluff entered pro ball as a sixth-round pick by the Nationals out of BYU in the 2019 MLB Draft. By two years later, MLB Pipeline had him ranked as Washington’s No. 17 prospect.
His defensive ability stood out enough to earn him Defensive Player of the Year honors with the Arizona Fall League’s Surprise Saguaros in 2021.
In his retirement post, Cluff thanked each stop along the way. “To the @nationals, thank you for taking a chance on the kid from BYU that was ‘too old’ for the draft,” he wrote.
“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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