Austin Hedges Has Reached A Notable Career Feat

It takes a varied collection of players to fill out a successful major league roster. Sometimes, a specific excellent skill can keep a player in the league for a very long time.

For the Cleveland Guardians, that player is catcher Austin Hedges. Despite a career batting average of under .200, the defensive specialist and positive clubhouse presence has been able to fashion a lengthy MLB resume.

Hedges recently reached a notable career feat, with the 2026 season marking 10 years of service in the majors.

“‘Hedgey’ has reached 10 years of service time in the Bigs,” the Guardians posted on X.

Hedgey has reached 10 years of service time in the Bigs. 👏#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/lRf9Y3JUzH

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 30, 2026

A second-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, Hedges made his major league debut on May 4, 2015, striking out as a pinch hitter for the San Diego Padres against the San Francisco Giants. He made his first appearance behind the plate two days later and played in 56 games that season.

Hedges managed just eight MLB games in 2016 because of a wrist injury. He played in 120 games for the Padres in 2017 and has been an MLB regular ever since.

A player earns one year of MLB service for every 172 days he spends on the active roster. That includes days spent on the injured list. Less than 10 percent of players ever reach the 10-year milestone.

The mark is significant because it guarantees a player full pension benefits. It also gives him the ability to veto any trade, as long as he has played at least five consecutive seasons with his team.

Interestingly, Hedges is entering his sixth season with Cleveland, but not in a row. He was traded to the franchise by the Padres during the 2020 season, then signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent following the 2022 campaign. After being traded to the Texas Rangers during the 2023 season, he rejoined Cleveland as a free agent for 2024 and has stayed on with a series of one-year contracts.

Hedges has yet to make his 2026 season debut after being hit on the hand by a pitch in the next-to-last spring training game, but his presence on the roster has allowed him to reach his important milestone.