PHOENIX -- David Denson, the first active player in affiliated professional baseball to come out as gay, has announced his retirement.
"I want to thank all of you for the amazing love and support over the years," the Brewers' Minor Leaguer wrote on Facebook on Monday. "But my baseball journey has come to an end. Even though my baseball journey has ended, a new door is opening and I will continue to push forward!"
In his post, Denson said he was stepping away at the start of what would have been his fifth season in the Brewers system to pursue a career as a personal trainer in southern California.
The 22-year-old first baseman hit .212 with a career-high 10 homers in 114 games with Class A Wisconsin and advanced Class A Brevard County last year. It was his first full season since Denson made headlines in the middle of the 2015 season when he announced he was gay.
"I have spoken with him at length and it's clear that he is passionate and excited about this new endeavor," said Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan. "It's been a pleasure having David as a member of the Brewers' organization. We thank him for his contributions and we wish him all the best in the future."
Denson and his family had been discussing the matter of late with Billy Bean, Major League Baseball's vice president for social responsibility and inclusion. It was Bean who, with Brewers officials, helped Denson navigate his history-making disclosure in 2015.
For Bean, who said he thinks of Denson like "a little brother," Denson's retirement was bittersweet.
"I wish he wanted to keep playing, but every baseball career comes to an end sometime," Bean said. "But he is really, really upbeat and optimistic about the things he wants to accomplish in his life."
In their discussions, Denson made apparent that retiring was strictly a baseball decision, Bean said, adding that Denson "never made any comment to me about being treated differently."
"A lot of people just don't know how hard it is to make it to the big leagues out of high school," Bean said. "David was focused and he was fit and he gave it all he had, but there is that moment where you know in your heart that you're done with that challenge. I think David has so many great things in front of him. He made an example to the sports world that was brave. He went about this in a respectful way and was an example to baseball."
In that way, Bean said, Denson and the Brewers helped set a roadmap for future players and teams to follow.
"David kept it about baseball," Bean said. "He did this in a mature way. He did not go after cheap stories and attention that would have alienated him from his teammates. That was the thing that mattered most to me. …
"And the Brewers were the first organization to have this experience presented on their doorstep, and I think everybody was great. They went the extra mile to keep things the same when David made his announcement, which is great progress. They set a wonderful example.
"That is what we are trying to do: Show that any athlete, as long as they can put their best foot forward, should be given a fair chance. If that's good enough, great. If not, that's the way it is for everybody else, too."
Denson first disclosed to club officials that he was gay during a particularly difficult Spring Training in 2015, a period he described as filled with anxiety about continuing to hide his sexuality. He found support from the front office, which put him in touch with Bean and began months of text messages, telephone calls and in-person discussions about the future.
In June, Denson spontaneously came out to his rookie-ball teammates in the clubhouse while the team was in Missoula, Mont. They surrounded him with support, and when Denson told the rest of the world in August, that sentiment ran all the up the organizational ladder.
Scooter Gennett, who was teammates briefly with Denson during a rehab assignment, voiced his support, while manager Craig Counsell, outfielder Ryan Braun and then-GM Doug Melvin all called the Minor Leaguer "courageous."
"I didn't do this for fame," Denson said at the time. "I didn't do this for media purposes. I didn't do it for any of that at all. I did it for myself and anybody else who is in my situation.
"When you live life, you have to be happy. And in anything in life, if you're not true to yourself, how can you be truly happy? Waking up every day trying to be somebody you're not, for me, it didn't work. I couldn't do it. I had that mental block of, 'OK, I have to get up and act this way, I have to change this, I have to make sure I don't say that.'
"I was afraid that my teammates would look at me different. But once my teammates knew and they told me they had my back, it felt like a thousand tons were lifted from my shoulders."
Denson, a 15th-round selection in the 2013 Draft, was named a Midwest League All-Star last season and retires with a career .229 batting average.