José Enger Veras Romero (born October 20, 1980) is a Dominican former

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He was signed by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

organization in 1998. He made his

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) debut in 2006 with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. He also played for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros.

Playing career

Minor leagues

Veras was signed as an undrafted

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 ...

by the

in 1998. He rose through the Tampa Bay minor league system, mostly as a starter. Veras struggled when he reached

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

, and was converted to a relief pitcher. He was released after the 2004 season. He pitched for the Texas Rangers AAA affiliate, the

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

, in 2005.

New York Yankees

Veras signed with the

before the 2006 season, which he spent most of in AAA, though he also made his MLB debut, pitching 11 innings with a 4.09

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). Veras was injured early in 2007, but rehabbed and returned to MLB as a September call up. After being called up to the majors early in the 2008 season, he emerged as a dominant force out of the bullpen and became the setup reliever after the Yankees traded

Kyle Farnsworth Kyle Lynn Farnsworth (born April 14, 1976) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He has played for the Chicago Cubs (1999–2004), Detroit Tigers (2005, 2008), Atlanta Braves (2005, 2010), New York Yankees (2006–2008), Kansas City Royals (2 ...

. Veras was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Yankees on June 16, 2009.

Cleveland Indians

On June 24, 2009, Veras was acquired by the

for cash considerations. On August 5, 2009, he was designated for assignment, and on August 11, 2009, he was outrighted to

. He was called up again in September toward the end of the 2009 season. He was non-tendered by the Indians, making him a free agent.

Florida Marlins

On January 29, 2010, Veras signed a minor league contract with the

with an invite to spring training, and was added to their active roster on April 3. On April 14, Veras was designated for assignment to bring up

Chris Leroux Christopher Adam Leroux (born April 14, 1984) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher and television personality. He played for the Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the ...

to take his spot. Veras was called up on June 25, 2010. James Houser was designated for assignment to make room.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 16, 2011, Veras signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates with an invitation to spring training worth $1 million plus incentives.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 12, 2011, Veras was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for

Casey McGehee Casey Michael McGehee (born October 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Yomiuri Giants, and also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, ...

Houston Astros

On December 18, 2012, Veras signed a contract with the Houston Astros for to a one-year, $2 million contract and a 2014 option worth $3.25 million with a $150,000 buyout. He played with the Dominican Republic in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Detroit Tigers

On July 29, 2013, Veras was traded to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Danry Vasquez and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. He gave up the game winning grand slam home run to

Shane Victorino Shane Patrick Victorino (born November 30, 1980), nicknamed "The Flyin' Hawaiian", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodger ...

of the Red Sox in Game 6 of the

2013 American League Championship Series The 2013 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the Boston Red Sox against the Detroit Tigers for the American League pennant and the right to play in the 2013 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The ...

. At the conclusion of the season, the Tigers declined Veras' club option for 2014.

Chicago Cubs

On December 27, 2013, Veras agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs for the 2014 season worth $3.85 million with a club option for 2015. Veras suffered extreme struggles early in the 2014 season, blowing 2 saves and allowing 10 earned runs in his first 6 appearances. Veras would then land on the disabled list, and quickly lose the closer role to fellow Cubs reliever

Héctor Rondón Héctor Luis Rondón (born February 26, 1988) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Rondón signed as an international fre ...

. On June 3, he was designated for assignment. On June 10, the Cubs officially released Veras.

Second stint with the Astros

On June 15, 2014, Veras signed a minor league deal to return to the Astros. He was called up to the major league squad on June 26.

Atlanta Braves

On February 10, 2015, Veras signed a minor league deal with 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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

. Veras was released by the Braves on March 19, 2015.

Third stint with the Astros

On May 15, 2015, Veras signed a minor league deal to return to the Astros. He was released on August 7, 2015.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On June 20, 2016, Veras signed with the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. This marks the first time Veras has ever pitched in independent baseball. He became a free agent after the 2016 season.

Pitching style

He has a mid to high 90s mph 4-seam fastball and a mid 80s

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. Both pitches generate an above average number of ground balls. Veras also throws a mid 70s curveball, which is his top swing and miss pitch. He throws with a low 3/4 arm motion.

Family

Veras is married to Gissel Veras. They have a daughter, Gijen, and two sons, Genson and Hansel.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veras, Jose 1980 births Living people Bakersfield Blaze players Bridgeport Bluefish players Charleston RiverDogs players Chicago Cubs players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Durham Bulls players Florida Marlins players Gulf Coast Devil Rays players Gulf Coast Yankees players Houston Astros players Hudson Valley Renegades players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Milwaukee Brewers players Montgomery Biscuits players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Yankees players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Oklahoma RedHawks players Orlando Rays players Pittsburgh Pirates players Princeton Devil Rays players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Tennessee Smokies players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2013 World Baseball Classic players