Boston slugger David Ortiz wishes he hadn’t announced his pending retirement so early

David Ortiz is not a fan of the farewell tour.

All the attention the Boston Red Sox slugger has been receiving since his November announcement that this will be his final MLB season has been a major distraction, he told ESPN Deportes on Sunday.

“I’m too busy. I have too many things to do. I barely have time to do anything,” Ortiz said. “It’s very difficult for me. If I had even imagined that it would be so difficult, I wouldn’t have announced anything. There are too many people I have to pay attention to, and on top of that, I have to prepare for a game.”

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Ortiz is in the midst of one of the best years of his career, and that’s saying a lot. The 20-year veteran leads the majors extra-base hits (48), doubles (29), slugging percentage (.699) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.118).

But he’s doing so while battling major pain in his feet, and that’s why Big Papi says there’s no chance he’ll be changing his mind about his upcoming retirement.

“Since 2012, I’ve been struggling with my feet. I arrive every day at noon for a 7 p.m. game. If it was just about hitting ... I can still hit. My mental focus is there, my hand-eye coordination. I work hard to maintain those. But after you hit, comes the rest. And therein lies the problem. That’s the only reason.”

He added: “This is what I like to do, and you see how people treat me. But unfortunately, when your body tells you it’s enough, it’s enough.”

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