Cecil announced his retirement from professional baseball Sunday via his personal Instagram account.

EDGE Analysis

Cecil, 35, has been out of baseball since being released by the Cardinals in June 2020. Over parts of 10 seasons in the majors with Toronto and St. Louis, the lefty reliever accrued a 4.29 ERA across 756 innings.

Cecil was released by the Cardinals on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Cecil signed a four-year deal with the Cardinals in 2016 but lasted just two seasons with the team thanks to his 4.86 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 100 innings. Should the veteran left-hander get a chance elsewhere, he'll likely have to prove himself in a low-leverage role early on after struggling to a career-worst 6.89 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in 32.2 innings last season.

Cecil (hamstring) debuted a new sidearm delivery while facing hitters Tuesday at the Cardinals' summer camp, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Slowed by a right hamstring strain during spring training, Cecil was able to make a full recovery from the injury during baseball's three-plus-month hiatus. About a week and a half before reporting to summer camp, Cecil began to experiment with a new delivery, hoping the change would limit the strain on his left arm while improving his chances of cracking the Cardinals' 30-man Opening Day roster. A major disappointment since inking a four-year, $30.5 million deal with the Cardinals in November 2016, Cecil will likely have to settle for low-leverage work early on in the season if he clinches a spot in the St. Louis bullpen.

Cecil (hamstring) has been working out at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida in recent weeks and will have his health reassessed when players report for summer camp, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The hamstring Cecil tweaked just before spring training was suspended has had plenty of time to recover, even factoring in the time off the veteran took from rehab for personal reasons in late March and early April. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirms the 33-year-old southpaw will be evaluated when summer camp begins July 1, but the fact Cecil has apparently been throwing regularly would seem to bode well for his chances of competing for a spot on the active roster during the ramp-up to the regular season.

Cecil (hamstring) is much more likely to avoid being designated for assignment if rosters are expanded significantly for the 2020 season as currently planned, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Saxon notes Cecil could well have been off the roster had spring training unfolded normally and the regular season had begun on time. Instead, the extended suspension of play has given the veteran a chance to heal the hamstring injury that cropped up March 11, and the expanded rosters that now appear to be a certainty if an abbreviated 2020 season is played likely affords the team enough room to keep him on board. The 33-year-old southpaw put together a reasonably solid body of work over five Grapefruit League appearances, posting a 4.15 ERA across 4.1 innings after missing all of 2019 with a wrist injury.

Cecil (hamstring) is expected to resume throwing off a mound in the next week or two, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Since suffering a severe hamstring strain March 11, Cecil's focus thus far has mainly been in strengthening his lower body rather than incorporating any baseball activities into his workouts. He'll take a notable step forward when he eventually steps back on the mound again, though he'll probably need at least another week or two after that to get his arm conditioned for game action.

Cecil (hamstring) will return to rehabilitation activities next week according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Due to personal reasons, Cecil had recently taken some time off from his rehab for the right hamstring strain he suffered in a March 11 exhibition against the Mets, just before spring training was suspended. Mozeliak reports the veteran reliever is feeling better now that he's over three weeks removed from the incident. Given the indefinite delay on MLB returning to action in any form, he's likely to have plenty of recovery time at his disposal. Cecil made five appearances during Grapefruit League play, generating a 4.15 ERA across 4.1 innings.

Cecil left Wednesday's game against the Mets with a right hamstring injury.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran lefty missed all of last season with a wrist injury and is potentially at risk of missing time again at the start of his season. The exact nature and severity of his injury are not yet clear, however.

Cecil fired a scoreless sixth inning during which he allowed no hits or walks, hit a batter and recorded a strikeout in a 2-0 Grapefruit League win over the Mets on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The appearance was Cecil's first time back on a big-league mound since last spring, when he was shut down after a handful of Grapefruit League outings with what eventually was diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome that required surgery. Cecil promptly plunked Brandon Nimmo to begin his stint on the mound, but he overcame the early nerves to strike out Jake Magnum and retire David Thompson and Blake Tiberi on soft outs. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Cecil was able to deploy his fastball, curveball and slider during the 11-pitch outing, with manager Mike Shildt commenting after the game that Cecil's stuff appeared sharper than it had been in quite some time.

Cecil is slated to get his first taste of Grapefruit League action in Saturday's game against a Mets split squad, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran reliever will enter the game at some point behind starter Jack Flaherty, and the outing will be particularly meaningful for Cecil after he missed all of last season with a wrist injury. Cecil has made a good impression in his early bullpen sessions during camp, and if healthy and effective, he could be a key sixth- and seventh-inning asset for manager Mike Shildt this coming season.