Baseball player calls it quits for son

Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche has sparked a nationwide debate about children in the workplace after he abruptly retired rather than keep his 14-year-old son out of the clubhouse.

“Thank u Lord for the game of baseball and for giving me way more than I ever deserved! #FamilyFirst,” LaRoche tweeted after making the decision.

LaRoche, 36, earned almost $70 million as a major league baseball player, but his retirement means he walked way from an additional $13 million in 2016. In 12 seasons playing for six teams, LaRoche hit 255 home runs and collected 882 RBIs.

His last two teams, the Washington Nationals and the White Sox, allowed LaRoche’s oldest son, Drake, to be a part of daily activities. LaRoche said the White Sox agreed to his son’s involvement when the club signed him before the 2015 season, but last week team vice president Ken Williams told him to scale it back significantly. Later, LaRoche said, he was told not to bring Drake to the ballpark at all.

“I had to make a decision,” LaRoche wrote in a statement of explanation. “Do I choose my teammates and my career? Or do I choose my family? The decision was easy.”

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has publicly backed Williams, who said he was acting on multiple complaints about the teen’s constant presence, but so far, many of LaRoche’s former teammates have rallied around him.

“Drake was never in the way,” Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper told The Washington Post. Harper, the reigning National League MVP, has tweeted his support, along with other baseball stars, including Anthony Rizzo and Chipper Jones.

“We wanted Drake in the clubhouse and we were backing Adam in every aspect,” White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton told the Chicago Tribune. Another teammate, ace pitcher Chris Sale, hung jerseys of both LaRoches at his locker and said the club lied to its players about the controversy.

LaRoche, a respected baseball veteran and Bible study leader, is not expected to reconsider his retirement, and the club’s front office says the matter is closed.

“As fathers, we have an opportunity to help mold our kids into men and women of character, with morals and values that can’t be shaken by the world around them,” LaRoche wrote. “Of one thing I am certain: We will regret NOT spending enough time with our kids, not the other way around.”

The news has sparked mixed reactions amid a national debate about children in the workplace. Williams said adults aren’t allowed to bring their children to work in other jobs, and the same should apply to baseball. Many agree with Williams, but critics argue baseball is a game that should continue to be family friendly.

“All I can do is answer what we’re going to do here,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker told The Washington Post. “I’m going to do what I’ve always done: invite kids in.”

The major league baseball season opens April 3.