The veteran backstop alluded to the fact that he had multiple offers to continue his playing career, but he said he made a personal decision to leave the game on his own terms. He'll now take over as the MTSU's director of player development. In seven seasons in the big leagues, McKenry hit .238 with 29 home runs in 311 games played.

The veteran backstop had no realistic shot of making the 25-man roster with a plethora of candidates (Luke Maile, Curt Casali and Jesus Sucre) already ahead of him before the Rays added Derek Norris. McKenry had hit just .125 with two doubles and two RBI over 36 spring plate appearances.

McKenry has bounced around the majors with multiple stints with different teams. He figures to settle in as the backup catcher in Tampa, but considering Tampa's lack of talent behind the plate it's possible McKenry gets a fair amount of playing time if he makes the team out of training camp. It is worth noting that he's hit .238 with just 29 HR's in his career.

McKenry was designated for assigment by the Cardinals on Tuesday. The 31-year-old backstop will now look to catch on with a different big-league club.