Jorge Luis Bonifacio (born June 4, 1993) 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 ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

in the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

organization. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Royals,

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Career

Kansas City Royals

The

signed Bonifacio as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2009. He played for the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their ho ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, and appeared in the Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2013, Bonifacio began the season with the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. In the final weeks of the season, the Royals promoted Bonifacio to the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. After the season, they assigned him to the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The Javelinas play their home games in the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the Sa ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

. He was named to the Fall Stars Game. The Royals invited Bonifacio to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 2014. He played for the Naturals in 2014 and in 2015. He spent the 2016 season with the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

, and was selected to appear in the 2016

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. Bonifacio began the 2017 season with Omaha. The Royals promoted him to the major leagues on April 21, 2017. He recorded his first major league

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

and

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

on April 23. On March 10, 2018, Bonifacio was suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for

boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

New York Times
/ref> an

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...

derived from

testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...

. He returned in the second half of the season but struggled, hitting .225 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. Bonifacio was designated for assignment on November 20, 2019. He was released on November 25, and became a free agent on November 27.

Detroit Tigers

On December 7, 2019, the

signed Bonifacio to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. On August 19, 2020, the Tigers purchased Bonifacio's contract and inserted him into the lineup. Overall with the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Bonifacio batted .221 with two home runs and 17 RBIs in 30 games. On October 27, 2020, Bonifacio was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020. On April 12, 2021, it was reported that Bonifacio had signed with the

Mariachis de Guadalajara The Mariachis de Guadalajara (English: Guadalajara Mariachis) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Their home ballpark is Estadio Panamericano, and has a capacity of 16,500 people. The Mariachis were e ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. However the next day, Bonifacio’s representatives noted that Bonifacio had not signed with the club and was still a free agent.

Philadelphia Phillies

On May 25, 2021, Bonifacio signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was assigned to the Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

. Bonifacio hit .251 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 49 games for Double-A Reading, leading to his promoting to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

on July 22. After hitting .321 with three home runs and 13 RBIs for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the Phillies selected Bonifacio's contract on August 20. After going 0-for-3 for the Phillies, Bonifacio was designated for assignment on August 24. On August 25, Bonifacio cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. On August 27, after

Zach Eflin Zack or Zach may refer to: People * Zach (surname), various people * Zack (surname), various people * Zack (personal name), lists of people and fictional characters named Zack, Zach, Zac, Zak or Zakk * Záh (gens) or Zách, a ''gens'' (clan) in th ...

, Luke Williams, and

Andrew Knapp Andrew Michael Knapp (born November 9, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Houston Astros organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mari ...

were placed on the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list, the Phillies re-selected Bonifacio's contract. On September 3, Bonifacio was returned to Lehigh Valley and removed from the 40-man roster. On October 8, Bonifacio elected free agency. On March 30, 2022, Bonifacio re-signed with the Phillies on a minor league contract. He played in 112 games for Triple-A Lehigh, slashing .240/.336/.407 with 15 home runs, 57 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. He elected free agency on November 10.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On March 9, 2023, Bonifacio signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

Personal life

Bonifacio is the younger brother of

Emilio Bonifacio Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonifacio, Jorge 1993 births Living people Arizona League Royals players Burlington Royals players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Kane County Cougars players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Peoria Javelinas players Philadelphia Phillies players Sportspeople from Santo Domingo Tigres del Licey players Wilmington Blue Rocks players