Ankiel's (elbow) attempt to return to the big leagues appears unlikely, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ankiel played catch Wednesday for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in October, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Ankiel announced Monday that he plans to pursue a comeback to professional baseball in 2019 as a relief pitcher, FOX Sports Midwest reports.

Dan McLaughlin said on the Cardinals' television broadcast Wednesday that Rick Ankiel has retired from baseball. Ankiel said as recently as February that he was open to playing in 2014 if the right situation came along, but he has apparently given up on the idea of a comeback and is now aiming to join a team's front office in some capacity. His once-promising career as a pitcher fizzled out due to extreme control problems, but he still made his mark as a hitter for a brief stretch, which is quite a testament to his talent.

Rick Ankiel stated in an interview on Sirius XM on Friday that he's still open to playing in 2014. The free agent outfielder hasn't heard from any interested teams, but has yet to give up hope. At this point, he will have to settle for a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, but in the right destination he could compete for a bench spot on a team in need of left-handed power.

Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that free agent Rick Ankiel is willing to extend his career in 2014, even if that involves taking a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Ankiel, 34, spent the 2013 season with the Astros and Mets, racking up a paltry 136 plate appearances with a .657 OPS to show for it. In fact, he has posted a sub-.700 OPS in each of the past three seasons. Beyond occasional power, Ankiel doesn't bring much to the field, but on a risk-free minor league deal, some teams could do worse.

Rick Ankiel has elected to become a free agent. Ankiel was designated for assignment by the Mets last week after batting just .182/.239/.364 with 25 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. The 33-year-old former pitcher will presumably try to latch on with a new organization.

The Mets are expected to designate Rick Ankiel for assignment before Sunday's game in order to make room on the roster for Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The 33-year-old outfielder is hitting just .188/.235/.422 with seven homers, 18 RBI and 60 strikeouts through 128 at-bats on the season after an 0-for-4 effort on Saturday. After being dismissed by the Astros and Mets, he'll likely have to settle for a minor league deal elsewhere.

Rick Ankiel went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's loss to the Marlins. Ankiel has predictably slowed down after his hot start with New York, collecting just two hits in his last 22 at-bats. Still, the Mets figure to keep running him out there in center field against right-handers for the time being. He's not really an option outside of deeper NL-only leagues.

Rick Ankiel tripled and doubled twice against the Reds on Wednesday. The triple should have been a double, too, but Xavier Paul fell down in left field twice on the play. Ankiel is now 10-for-31 with seven extra-base hits as a member of the Mets. It probably won't last, but it's nice to see him doing well. His career was in danger of being over when the Astros let him go.