Kline retires after (yet another) injury

Will Kline, after another major shoulder injury, has decided to call an end to his snakebitten career.

Kline retired after suffering a rotator cuff tear in an extended spring training game this month. The 26-year-old right-hander, Tampa Bay's second-round draft pick in 2007 from Ole Miss, had missed three full seasons with injuries.

"I gave it everything I could," Kline said. "It just didn't work out for me, but it's OK."

Kline said the latest injury hit him suddenly. He had recovered enough that the Rays had scheduled him to throw more than one inning.

Late in his first inning, he started feeling discomfort but had enough for an inning-ending strikeout. Kline went to the dugout hoping a little rest would clear things up.

It didn't. A half-inning later, a few warmup pitches were too much.

"It went from feeling good to career-ending in a matter of three or four pitches," Kline said. "I knew something was bad wrong."

The Rays put him through a full exam, MRI, Dr. James Andrews and everything. Kline said they found a 50 percent tear in one rotator cuff muscle and a 25 percent tear in another.

"I said, 'Look guys, I appreciate everything you've done, but I feel it's time to move on to something else,'" said Kline, who has finished his degree at Ole Miss. "I didn't feel like going through another long rehab process."