Gaffney informed the Pirates of his retirement from baseball Saturday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
A standout both on the gridiron and on the diamond during his college days at Stanford, Gaffney chose to embark on a pro football career in 2014, when he was a sixth-round pick of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. He later went on to win two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots before injuries prompted him to give up football and pursue a professional baseball career in 2018. Gaffney reported to the Pirates last spring and slashed .244/.353/.388 across 258 plate appearances between Double-A Altoona and High-A Bradenton. The prospect of another year on the farm evidently wasn't appealing for the 27-year-old, who has now retired from both sports.