Right-hander Branden Kline, the Frederick, Md., native who overcame a litany of arm injuries to make 37 relief appearances for his hometown Orioles over the past two seasons, announced his retirement on Wednesday.

¡°Dear Baseball, we both knew this day would eventually come......Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for me, and my family, over the past 25 years!¡± Kline wrote on Instagram. ¡°You¡¯ve given me great friends, life-changing experiences, as well as a career that I¡¯ve cherished for the last 8 years. I¡¯m looking forward to spending more time with my family and being more involved in spiritual matters.¡±

Kline, 29, was the Orioles¡¯ second-round pick in 2012 out of the University of Virginia, where he developed into a top arm after a standout career at Governor Thomas Johnson High in Frederick. But injuries plagued Kline during his Minor League career, forcing him to miss almost three full seasons with a broken right fibula and three elbow surgeries, including Tommy John reconstruction.

When Kline made his emotional MLB debut as a reliever in 2019, it produced some of the most memorable moments of what was a trying O¡¯s season. The footage of Kline¡¯s mother, Linda, tearing up while being interviewed by MASN during that game left a lasting image.

¡°It was an incredible moment,¡± Kline said afterwards. ¡°There are still things I have to get better on. At the same time, it was a great moment for myself and my family and friends. A lot of hard work went into tonight. Even though it was just two innings and 30 pitches, about 25 years of work went into that.¡±

Kline pitched to a 5.48 ERA over parts of two seasons in the Majors, including 34 appearances in 2019. He became a free agent in October after the Orioles removed him from their 40-man roster.

In his Instagram announcement, Kline thanked agent Tom Hagan and CAA Baseball ¡°for taking care of me over the last decade, as well as the Orioles for taking a chance on a local boy.¡±

¡°It¡¯s been a fun ride,¡± he wrote.