Jasseel De La Cruz (born June 26, 1997) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who is a free agent. De La Cruz is currently a

phantom ballplayer A phantom ballplayer is either a baseball player who is incorrectly listed in source materials as playing in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game, often the result of typographical or clerical errors, or a player who spent time on an MLB Major Leag ...

, having spent stints in 2020 and 2021 on the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

' active roster but never having appeared in a major league game.

Career

Atlanta Braves

De La Cruz signed with the

as an international free agent on June 1, 2015. He spent his first professional season of 2015 with the

DSL Braves The Dominican Summer League Braves or DSL Braves is a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the San Pedro de Macorís division and is affiliated with the Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an America ...

, going 0–1 with a 7.11 ERA in 6 innings. He split the 2016 season between the DSL and the

GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

, going a combined 4–0 with a 2.18 ERA in 41 innings. He split the 2017 season between the GCL and the Danville Braves, going a combined 2–4 with a 3.80 ERA in innings. He played for the

Rome Braves The Rome Braves are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2020, the team served ...

in 2018, going 3–4 with a 3.83 ERA in 69 innings. De La Cruz split the 2019 season between Rome,

Florida Fire Frogs The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs ...

, and Mississippi Braves, going a combined 7–9 with a 3.25 ERA over 133 innings. On May 18, 2019, De La Cruz threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

for the

. On November 19, 2019, the Braves added De La Cruz was added 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. On September 15, 2020, De La Cruz was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He was optioned down the next day without making a major league appearance. On May 8, 2021, De La Cruz was again promoted to the majors but was again sent down on May 10 without playing. Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, De La Cruz was not tendered a contract, making him a free agent. On March 13, 2022, De La Cruz re-signed with the Braves organization on a minor league contract. He split the year between the Triple–A Gwinnett Stripers, Double–A Mississippi Braves, and rookie–level

Florida Complex League Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTod ...

. In 20 combined appearances, he struggled to a 7.18 ERA with 28 strikeouts across innings of work. De La Cruz elected free agency after the season on November 10.

Oakland Athletics

On November 29, 2022, De La Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. He spent the majority of the 2023 season with the Double–A Midland RockHounds, also appearing in 6 games for the rookie–level

Arizona Complex League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Oakland Athletics organization since 1988. Th ...

. In 18 relief outings for Midland, De La Cruz struggled to a 13.73 ERA with 29 strikeouts across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.

Sioux City Explorers

On February 20, 2024, De La Cruz signed with the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Si ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. De La Cruz did not make an appearance for the club before he was released on May 26.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:De La Cruz, Jasseel 1997 births Living people Arizona Complex League Athletics players Baseball pitchers Danville Braves players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Braves players Florida Complex League Braves players Florida Fire Frogs players Gulf Coast Braves players Gwinnett Stripers players Leones del Escogido players Mississippi Braves players People from Hato Mayor del Rey Rome Braves players Toros del Este players