Yermín Mercedes hints at stepping away from baseball in an Instagram post, while the Chicago White Sox say they ‘have not received any official notification’

Yermín Mercedes, the American League Rookie of the Month in April whom the Chicago White Sox optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on July 2, indicated he might be stepping away from baseball in an Instagram post Wednesday.

An image reading “it’s over” was posted on Mercedes’ account with a caption in Spanish, part of which translates to “I am away from baseball indefinitely.” The caption also ends with “it’s over” in English.

Mercedes went 0-for-2 Wednesday for the Charlotte Knights before exiting the game.

“The White Sox are aware of tonight’s Instagram post by Yermín Mercedes, who is currently on the active roster of our Class AAA team in Charlotte, N.C.,” the Sox said in a statement. “At this point in time, the White Sox have not received any official notification from Yermín concerning his future plans.”

Mercedes, 28, was one of the best stories in baseball early this season, becoming the first player since at least 1900 to begin a season with eight consecutive hits. He had a .415/.455/.659 slash line in April while serving as the Sox’s regular designated hitter to earn the AL rookie honor.

But those numbers dropped to .221/.292/.326 in 28 May games and .159/.221/.190 in 18 June games before he was sent down. Overall Mercedes slashed .271/.328/.404 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 68 games with the Sox.

In 15 games with Charlotte, Mercedes has a .298/.365/.632 slash line with four home runs and 10 RBIs.