Luis Enrique Cessa (born April 25, 1992) is a Mexican

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 ...

for 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 ...

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). He previously played in MLB for the

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

Professional career

New York Mets

Cessa signed with 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 ...

organization as an international free agent on July 9, 2008. He made his professional debut in 2009 with the

Dominican Summer League Mets After withdrawing their affiliate from the Venezuelan Summer League, the Major League Baseball's New York Mets have had two affiliates in the Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Base ...

, hitting .191/.379/.258 with 1 home run and 9 RBI in 34 games. The following season, Cessa returned to the team and hit .162/.230/.191 with no home runs and 3 RBI in 23 games. Cessa was a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

his first two seasons before transitioning into a pitcher in 2011. Cessa made his professional debut as a pitcher with the DSL Mets in 2011, and also pitched for the rookie-level

GCL 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 a ...

, accumulating a 4-3 record and 3.19 ERA in 15 games. In 2012, Cessa pitched in 13 games for the Low-A

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

, registering a 5-4 record and 2.49 ERA. The following season, Cessa recorded an 8-4 record and 3.12 ERA in 21 games for the Single-A

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

. In 2014, Cessa spent the season with the High-A

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

, also appearing in one game for the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

, and pitched to a 7-9 record and 4.26 ERA in 21 games. Cessa began the 2015 season in Binghamton, and received a promotion to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s after logging a 2.56 ERA in 13 games for Binghamton. Luis Cessa pitching for the St

Detroit Tigers

On July 31, 2015, the Mets traded Cessa and

Michael Fulmer Michael Joseph Fulmer (born March 15, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. Fulmer won the American League Rookie of the Yea ...

to the

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 ...

in exchange for

Yoenis Céspedes Yoenis Céspedes Milanés (born October 18, 1985), nicknamed "La Potencia" (The Power), is a Cuban-born professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on March 28, 2012, for the Oakland Athletics, and has also p ...

. Cessa finished the year with 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 ...

, posting a 1-3 record and 5.97 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 37.2 innings of work. Cessa was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster after the season.

New York Yankees

On December 9, 2015, the Tigers traded Cessa and Chad Green to the

for Justin Wilson. Cessa was named to the Yankees'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster in 2016. He made his major league debut for the Yankees on April 8. He pitched two innings, allowing two hits, one home run, and two strikeouts as the Yankees were shut out by the

, 4-0. The Yankees

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

Cessa to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

of the Triple-A

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

on April 15, 2016, in exchange for Tyler Olson. On May 17, the Yankees recalled Cessa for AAA Scranton/WB. On June 7, the Yankees optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. On June 26, the Yankees recalled Cessa from Scranton/. On June 29, Cessa earned his first Major League win, pitching 3 innings of 1-run relief. Cessa finished his rookie season with a 4-4 record and 4.35 ERA in 17 appearances. Cessa began the 2017 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, before being recalled in June. In August Cessa was placed on the disabled list after making a spot start for the Yankees, the rib cage injury would end his season. Cessa had recorded a 4.75 ERA in 10 games before his injury. Cessa again spent most of the 2018 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was used in a variety of roles by the Yankees in the major leagues. Cessa started 5 games and finished 6, while recording a pair of three inning saves. He finished the year with a 1-4 record and 5.24 ERA. Cessa spent the 2019 season as a full time reliever for the Yankees, pitching to a 4.11 ERA and a 8.3 K/9 in 81 innings pitched. On July 4, 2020, it was announced that Cessa had tested positive for

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 ...

. In 16 games for the Yankees in the

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...

shortened 2020 season, Cessa recorded a 3.32 ERA and 7.1 K/9 in 16 appearances. In 29 appearances for the Yankees in 2021, Cessa posted a 3-1 record with a 2.82 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 28, 2021, the Yankees traded Cessa and Justin Wilson to the

in exchange for Jason Parker. In 24 appearances for the Reds, Cessa went 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 23 strikeouts. On March 22, 2022, Cessa signed a $1.8 million contract with the Reds, avoiding salary arbitration.

Personal life

Cessa was born in

Córdoba, Veracruz Córdoba, known officially as Heroica Córdoba, is a city and the seat of the municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was founded in 1618. The city is composed of 15 barrios (neighborhoods) bounded to the north by Ixhua ...

, but grew up in

Cárdenas, Tabasco Cárdenas is the second-largest city in the state of Tabasco, in southeastern Mexico. It lies in the northwestern part of the state, on the Gulf of Mexico coast, east of the city of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. The city is the municipal seat of Cárdena ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cessa, Luis 1992 births Baseball players from Tabasco Baseball players from Veracruz Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Cincinnati Reds players Dominican Summer League Mets players Gulf Coast Mets players Las Vegas 51s players Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican people of Italian descent New York Yankees players People from Cárdenas, Tabasco Savannah Sand Gnats players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Sportspeople from Córdoba, Veracruz St. Lucie Mets players Toledo Mud Hens players Mexican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic