After being released from his minor-league contract with the Royals earlier Thursday, Lohse announced that he's hanging up his cleats for good. Over the course of 16 major league seasons, Lohse logged a whopping 2,531.2 innings and notched a 4.40 ERA. He was a key member of the Cardinals rotation during their 2011 World Series run and finishes his career with 147 wins.

Lohse inked a minor-league deal with the Royals on March 31, but he was simply awful during his time in the organization. He allowed 12 runs in two starts for Triple-A Omaha, giving up 17 hits and walking five in that span. He'll head out to the open market looking for a new minor-league deal, though his recent performance very well may detract potential suitors for his services.

Lohse has been out of the game since refusing an outright assignment to the minors while with the Rangers in 2016. The 39-year-old will provide some extra rotational depth for the Royals with both Nathan Karns and Jesse Hahn on the disabled list due to elbow problems. During his last full season in the majors, Lohse posted a 5.85 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with a 108:43 K:BB over 152.1 innings for Milwaukee in 2015. Looking ahead, Lohse will build his arm up at Triple-A Omaha before there's any possibility of joining the big-league squad.

When Lohse realized he wasn't going to be a part of the Rangers Major League rotation, he elected to choose free agency over the minors. Lohse turns 38 in October and isn't likely going to catch on anywhere after his poor 2015 campaign.