Veteran catcher Jason Kendall announced his retirement today at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark., home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Kendall, 38, played in two games for Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate after signing a minor league contract last Thursday. He missed the final month of 2010 and all of 2011 with shoulder surgery. Kendall was a three-time NL All-Star (1996, 1998, 2000) and a career .288 hitter in 2,085 games for Pittsburgh (1996-2004), Oakland (2005-07), Chicago Cubs (2007), Milwaukee (2008-09) and Kansas City (2010). Kendall ranks fifth all-time in baseball history with 2,025 games caught.