MLB veteran Eric Chavez retires

Jul 30, 2014 - 8:17 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Six-time Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez is retiring after 17 years in the majors.

Chavez told CBSSports.com on Wednesday he didn't feel right accepting over $1 million remaining on his contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, so he volunteered to move from the disabled list to retirement.

"I'm very lucky," Chavez told the website. "I just enjoyed competing and being on the field. There's nothing like winning at the major-league level."

The Diamondbacks confirmed Chavez's retirement and said he would hold a press conference Thursday afternoon at Chase Field.

Chavez, 36, went on the disabled list on June 9 with a sprained left knee. He made his last plate appearance the day before as a pinch-hitter against Atlanta, drawing a walk. Pitcher Bronson Arroyo, running for Chavez, later scored as part of a six-run seventh inning that lifted the Diamondbacks to a 6-5 win.

At his peak as a slugger for the Oakland Athletics, Chavez batted .273 and averaged 28 homers, 94 RBI and a .352 on-base percentage between 2000-06, winning six straight Gold Gloves over the last six years of that span.

He signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees in 2011 and spent two seasons in the Bronx, batting .274 with 18 homers in 171 games. Arizona signed him in 2012 and he hit .273 with 12 homers in his only 124 games in the NL.

Chavez's last eight years were marked by injuries as he averaged just 56 games per season from 2007-14.

"Quite frankly, had injuries not hit at the wrong time, he was on his way to a Hall-of-Fame career," A's general manager Billy Beane told CBSSPorts.com. "If you look at what he did to age 26, you could see him ending up (in Cooperstown)."

Chavez finishes with 260 career home runs, 902 RBI, a .268 average and .342 on-base percentage in 1,615 games.