Justin Bruihl (born June 26, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Early life and amateur career

Bruihl was born and grew up in Petaluma, California and attended

Casa Grande High School Casa Grande High School is a public high school in Petaluma, California. Casa Grande is one of six high schools in the Petaluma City Schools District. History At the end of the 1960s, prior to the construction of Casa Grande High, the Petalum ...

. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow early in his junior season and had

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

. Bruihl returned to pitching in the second half of his senior year but was limited to innings pitched, striking out 27 batters and allowing no earned runs. Bruihl enrolled at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he played college baseball for the

Cal Poly Mustangs The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty-one teams and compete in NCAA Division I; they are primarily members of the Big Wes ...

. He led the team with 25 appearances as a freshman and had a 1–3 win–loss record with a 4.88 earned run average (ERA) and 27

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s over

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. After the season, he transferred to Santa Rosa Junior College and posted a 7–0 record and 2.12 ERA with 59 strikeouts over 51 innings pitched in his sophomore season. Bruihl had committed to transfer to the University of California after the end of his sophomore season.

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Bruihl was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted free agent on July 15, 2017. He was assigned to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League the following season to begin his professional career. Bruihl began the 2019 season with the High–A

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

before being reassigned to the Single–A Great Lakes Loons. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After beginning the 2021 season with the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

, Bruihl was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers on June 1, 2021. The Dodgers selected Bruihl's contract and promoted him the Major League roster on August 8, 2021. He made his major league debut the same day against the Los Angeles Angels, striking out the first batter he faced ( Brandon Marsh) and pitching innings. He pitched in innings for the Dodgers in 2021 over 21 games and allowed six earned runs (2.89 ERA) on 13 hits. He also made 26 appearances in the minors (eight for Tulsa and 18 for Oklahoma City) where he had a 2.63 ERA. Bruihl was left off the postseason roster for the first two rounds but added for the

2021 National League Championship Series The 2021 National League Championship Series was the best-of-seven series in Major League Baseball (MLB) between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, for the National League pennant and the right to play in the 2021 World Series. The ...

, where he pitched two scoreless innings allowing only one hit while striking out five batters. In 2022, Bruihl split the season between the majors and the minors. He pitched in 25 games for Oklahoma City with a 3–1 record and 3.56 ERA and in 24 games for Los Angeles, with a 1–1 record and 3.80 ERA. On September 18, he picked up his first career save against the San Francisco Giants. Bruihl was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin the 2023 season. In 20 games for Los Angeles, he worked to a 4.07 ERA with 19 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 28, 2023, Bruihl was designated for assignment.

Colorado Rockies

On August 1, 2023, Bruihl was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 7 appearances for Colorado, he struggled to a 14.73 ERA with 3 strikeouts across innings of work. On August 25, Bruihl was designated for assignment following the promotion of

Evan Justice John Evan William Justice (born July 7, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career A native of Richmond, Virginia, Justice attended Collegiate School and played ...

. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes on August 28. He elected free agency on November 6.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 3, 2024, Bruihl signed a minor league contract with the

.https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/reds-sign-justin-bruihl-to-minor-league-deal.html

References

External links

Cal Poly Mustangs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruihl, Justin 1997 births Living people Sportspeople from Petaluma, California Baseball players from Sonoma County, California Casa Grande High School alumni Major League Baseball pitchers Los Angeles Dodgers players Colorado Rockies players Cal Poly Mustangs baseball players Santa Rosa Bear Cubs baseball players Walla Walla Sweets players Ogden Raptors players Great Lakes Loons players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Albuquerque Isotopes players