Nathan Donald Lukes (born July 12, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

High school and college

Lukes grew up in

Antelope, California Antelope is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States located approximately northeast of downtown Sacramento and southwest of Roseville. The population was 45,770 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the ...

and attended Center High School. He enrolled at California State University, Sacramento and played college baseball for the

Sacramento State Hornets The Sacramento State Hornets (also Sac State) represent California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, the capital city of the U.S. state of California, in intercollegiate athletics. The school fields 21 teams including men and women's ba ...

for three seasons. He was named All- Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after hitting .347 with 26 RBIs and 54 runs scored in his sophomore season. After the season, Lukes played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Victoria HarbourCats The Victoria HarbourCats are a summer-collegiate baseball team located in Victoria, British Columbia. The HarbourCats play in the West Coast League (WCL), a collegiate summer baseball league. The team's home games are played at Victoria's Royal A ...

in the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

. He repeated as a first team All-WAC selection as a junior after batting for a .345 average with 81 total hits, seven home runs, 38 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Lukes finished his collegiate career as Sacramento State's all-time hit leader with 244.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians selected Lukes in the seventh round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks ...

. After signing with the team he was assigned to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, where he played in five games before missing the rest of the season after breaking his right hand. He began the 2016 season with the Single–A Lake County Captains before being promoted to the High–A Lynchburg Hillcats.

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 1, 2016, the Indians included Lukes in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in return for

Brandon Guyer Brandon Eric Guyer (born January 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians. His knack for getting hit by pitches earned him the nickname, ...

. Lukes started the 2017 season in Charlotte before being promoted to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits after six games. Lukes returned to Montgomery in 2018, playing in 115 games and batting .278/.331/.400 with 6 home runs, 51 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. Lukes played for the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

in 2019, where he batted .219/.294/.319 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 91 games. He did not play a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lukes was named to the Rays' 2021 Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee. He spent the entirety of the 2021 season with Durham, playing in 85 games and batting .303/.352/.456 with 4 home runs and 44 RBI.

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 29, 2021, Lukes signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and was invited to spring training. Lukes played in 111 games for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, hitting .285/.364/.425 with 11 home runs, 61 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. On November 10, 2022, the Blue Jays added Lukes to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. On March 28, 2023, Lukes was announced as the final member of Toronto's

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 29 games for Toronto, he batted .192/.290/.308 with no home runs and two RBI. Lukes was optioned to Triple–A Buffalo to begin the 2024 season. He was recalled to the majors on May 3, but sent back down again on May 4 without playing. On June 14, Lukes underwent surgery to repair the UCL in his left thumb.

References

External links

Sacramento State Hornets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukes, Nathan Living people 1994 births Baseball players from Oregon Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Lake County Captains players Lynchburg Hillcats players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball outfielders Montgomery Biscuits players Sacramento State Hornets baseball players Toronto Blue Jays players Victoria HarbourCats players