Drew Robinson retiring to join Giants’ front office

Drew Robinson, who survived a suicide attempt and returned to play baseball with one eye while spreading a message about the importance of mental health, said in an Instagram post on Friday that he’ll retire from playing after this weekend and join the San Francisco Giants‘ front office.

Robinson, 29, has spent the past 2½ months with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, returning to the game against long odds. In April 2020, Robinson shot himself in the head and survived 20 hours before calling 911. The idea of playing baseball again prompted Robinson to place the call, and while damage from the gunshot forced doctors to remove his right eye, he attempted a comeback nevertheless.

The Giants signed Robinson, who had played in the major leagues with the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, to a minor league deal. Following a successful spring training, he joined Sacramento and started on opening night in right field. In his fourth game, Robinson hit a home run, the first of three he’d go on to hit.

Amid on-field struggles in Sacramento, Robinson began discussing a job with the Giants organization as a mental health advocate, and he will transition to the role following three games this weekend.

“I couldn’t be more excited to remain in the game that saved my life,” he wrote on Instagram. “… While I’m proud of my progress, growth is a continuous journey. For the Giants to believe I can help other players address their emotional well-being more comfortably and gain insight from my lessons learned is truly humbling.”