Enmanuel Valdez (born December 28, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Career

Houston Astros

Valdez signed with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

as an international free agent on July 2, 2015. He made his professional debut in 2016 with the

Dominican Summer League Astros The Dominican Summer League Astros, or DSL Astros, is a minor league baseball team of the Dominican Summer League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. From 201 ...

. He played 2017 with the

Gulf Coast Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays i ...

and

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby T ...

, 2018 with the Tri-City ValleyCats, and 2019 with the Quad Cities River Bandits and

Fayetteville Woodpeckers The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and play their home games at Segra Stadium. From 2017 to 201 ...

. Valdez did not play in 2020 due to cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in 2021 to play for the Asheville Tourists and Corpus Christi Hooks. He started 2022 in Double-A with Corpus Christi. and was later promoted to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys of Triple-A.

Boston Red Sox

On August 1, 2022, Valdez and

Wilyer Abreu Wilyer David Abreu (born June 24, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. Career Houston Astros On July 2, 2017, Abreu signed with the Houston A ...

were traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for

Christian Vázquez Christian Rafael Vázquez (born August 21, 1990) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. Selected by th ...

. Valdez finished the season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. On November 10, 2022, the Red Sox added Valdez to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. During the offseason, he played in the Dominican Winter League for Toros del Este. He was optioned to Worcester to begin the 2023 season. On April 19, 2023, Valdez was promoted to the major leagues for the first time after

Yu Chang Yu-Cheng Chang (; born August 18, 1995) is a Taiwanese professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians / Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. Career M ...

was placed on the paternity list. Valdez made his MLB debut that evening, against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

, and recorded two hits. He was optioned back to Worcester the next day, then recalled on April 25 when Chang went on the injured list due to a hand injury. Valdez remained with the Red Sox until being optioned back to Worcester on June 9. He was recalled to Boston on September 1, when major-league rosters expanded to 28 players, optioned back on September 12, and recalled again on September 22.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Enmanuel 1998 births Living people People from San Juan de la Maguana Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball infielders Boston Red Sox players Dominican Summer League Astros players Greeneville Astros players Gulf Coast Astros players Tri-City ValleyCats players Quad Cities River Bandits players Fayetteville Woodpeckers players Asheville Tourists players Corpus Christi Hooks players Sugar Land Space Cowboys players Worcester Red Sox players Toros del Este players