Juan Carlos Centeno ( ; born November 16, 1989) is a Puerto Rican

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 ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

in the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

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

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Career

New York Mets

Centeno was selected in round 32 with the 991st pick of the

2007 MLB draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

by the

. He received a $5,000 signing bonus. He was selected primarily because of his defensive qualities, as his batting capabilities were not the best. Centeno began his professional career in 2007 with the

Gulf Coast League Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games ...

at the Rookie League league level After the 2008 season, he played for Gigantes de Carolina of the

Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter League. Consisting of seven teams as of the 2020–21 season, the league's ...

(LBPRC). After the 2012 season, he played for Atenienses de Manatí of the LBPRC. In 2013, Centeno advanced to the Triple-A level with the Las Vegas 51s. On September 9, 2013, Centeno was called up to the majors for the first time. He made his major league debut on September 18 against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, going 2-for-4 with two singles, and his first major league RBI. For the 2013 season, Centeno appeared in four MLB games, batting .300 with one RBI. After the 2013 season, he played for Carolina of the LBPRC. In 2014, he appeared in 10 MLB games, batting .200 with two RBIs. That season, Centeno also played in 74 minor league games, batting .289 with one home run and 25 RBIs. After the 2014 season, he played for

Senadores de San Juan The (lit. San Juan Senators) was a professional baseball team based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Senadores club was founded in 1938 and played intermittently in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, the predecessor to the current Li ...

of the LBPRC.

Milwaukee Brewers

On October 31, 2014, Centeno was selected off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2015, after catcher

Jonathan Lucroy Jonathan Charles Lucroy (born June 13, 1986) is a former American professional baseball catcher. Between 2010 and 2021, he spent 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Oakl ...

was injured, Centeno was called up to Milwaukee. From late April to late May, he appeared in 10 MLB games, batting .048 (1-for-21). He was optioned to the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox when Lucroy returned. Centeno was granted

free agency 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 ...

on November 6, 2015. After the 2015 season, he played for Cangrejeros de Santurce and Criollos de Caguas of the LBPRC.

Minnesota Twins

Centeno signed with the Minnesota Twins on November 30, 2015. In 2016, He served as the team's regular back-up catcher, appearing in 55 games with 192 plate appearances while batting .261 (46-for-176) with three home runs and 25 RBIs. He again became a free agent on November 23, 2016. After the 2016 season, he played for Tiburones de Aguadilla of the LBPRC.

Houston Astros

In December 2016, Centeno signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. On May 23, 2017, he appeared in his first game for the Astros, against the Detroit Tigers where he homered in his debut. In 22 games with the Astros in 2017, Centeno finished with a .231 batting average, two home runs, and four RBI. The Astros finished the season with a 101–61 record, and went on to win the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

for the first time. Centeno was on the Astros' roster through the postseason, but only appeared in one postseason game (Game 3 of the

2017 ALDS The 2017 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-games series held to determine the participating teams in the 2017 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a ...

) and did not have a plate appearance.

Texas Rangers

Centeno was claimed off waivers on November 27, 2017, by the Texas Rangers. Early in the 2018 season, he appeared in 10 games with the Rangers, batting .162 (6-for-37) with one home run and three RBIs. He 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 ...

on May 3, and sent outright to the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

four days later. He was granted free agency on October 1, 2018. After the 2018 season, he played for

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, the ''Indios'' have won 18 national ...

of the LBPRC.

Boston Red Sox

On November 13, 2018, Centeno signed a minor league deal with the

; he was assigned to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

. On September 1, 2019, the Red Sox selected Centeno's contract, adding him to their active MLB roster. He played his first game with the Red Sox on September 11, appearing against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. Centeno appeared in seven games with the 2019 Red Sox, batting .133 with two RBIs. Following the 2019 season, he was removed from Boston's 40-man roster and elected to become a free agent. After the 2019 season, he played for Atenienses de Manatí of the LBPRC. On January 23, 2020, Centeno re-signed with the Red Sox on a minor league deal. He was later announced as a non-roster invitee to Red Sox spring training. He became a minor-league free agent on November 2, 2020. After the 2020 season, he played for Atenienses of the LBPRC. He has also played for Puerto Rico in the 2021 Caribbean Series.

Detroit Tigers

On April 15, 2021, Centeno signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers organization. Centeno began the 2021 season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves. After only 5 games, hitting .316 with 1 home run and 4 RBI's, he was promoted to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. Centeno played in 53 games for Triple-A Toledo, hitting .277 with 1 home run and 17 RBI's. He became a free agent following the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 25, 2022, Centeno signed a minor league contract with the

Personal life

Centeno is married.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Centeno, Juan 1989 births Living people Atenienses de Manatí (baseball) players Binghamton Mets players Boston Red Sox players Brooklyn Cyclones players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Criollos de Caguas players Erie SeaWolves players Fresno Grizzlies players Gigantes de Carolina players Gulf Coast Mets players Houston Astros players Indios de Mayagüez players Las Vegas 51s players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente catchers Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Milwaukee Brewers players Minnesota Twins players New York Mets players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico Peoria Javelinas players Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players Senadores de San Juan players St. Lucie Mets players Texas Rangers players Tiburones de Aguadilla players Toledo Mud Hens players Amarillo Sod Poodles players