Kirk Nieuwenhuis tells Ducks he's retiring

Exactly four years after his signature Mets moment, outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis has informed the Ducks that he is retiring, team president and general manager Michael Pfaff said Friday afternoon.

Nieuwenhuis did not report to Sugar Land, Texas, where the Ducks began the second half of the season Friday night. He called manager Wally Backman before the game to inform him of his decision, Pfaff said.

Nieuwenhuis, a former Met most remembered for hitting three home runs in a July 12, 2015 game against Arizona at Citi Field, was an Atlantic League All-Star this season, hitting .259 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 62 games. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in the All-Star Game Wednesday night in York, Pennsylvania, before calling it quits.

Nieuwenhuis played parts of six seasons in the majors, including 263 games with the Mets from 2012-15 — three during the World Series against the Royals. His last big-league action came with the Brewers in 2017.

Nieuwenhuis is the second Duck to retire this week. Pitcher Jake Fisher, who was once a top-of-the-rotation caliber lefty in the Atlantic League, also called it quits, Pfaff said Monday. Former Met Matt den Dekker, who began the season on the Ducks, retired in June.

The Ducks won the Liberty Division first-half championship last weekend and clinched an automatic playoff spot.