Nivaldo Apolinar Rodríguez (born April 16, 1997) is a Venezuelan

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

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey ( en, Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monterrey, Mexico. They compete in the Northern Division. The team also joined the Mexican Pacific League for the 2019–20 season f ...

of the Mexican League. 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

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Career

Houston Astros

Rodríguez signed with the

as an international free agent on June 13, 2016. He spent the 2016 season with the

DSL Astros The Dominican Summer League Astros, or DSL Astros, is a minor league baseball team of the Dominican Summer League, and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. From 201 ...

, going 1–0 with a 1.17 ERA over innings. He split the 2017 season between the DSL and the

GCL Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays i ...

, going a combined 4–2 with a 2.05 ERA over 57 innings. he spent the 2018 season with the Tri City ValleyCats, going 4–1 with a 2.91 ERA over innings. He split the 2019 season between the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...

and the

Fayetteville Woodpeckers The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and play their home games at Segra Stadium. From 2017 to 201 ...

, going a combined 6–6 with a 2.40 ERA over 105 innings. Rodríguez was added to the Astros 40-man roster after the 2019 season. He made his MLB debut on July 28, 2020 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 31, 2021, Rodríguez was designated for assignment by the Astros.

Detroit Tigers

On August 2, 2021, Rodríguez was claimed off of waivers by 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 ...

. He was assigned 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 ...

. Rodríguez posted a 4.93 ERA in 13 appearances for Toledo. He was outrighted off of the 40-man roster following the season on November 19, 2021. He was assigned to the Triple-A

to begin the 2022 season. He appeared in 19 games (15 starts), struggling to a 3-8 record and 6.92 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 65.0 innings pitched. He was released on August 4, 2022.

Sioux City Explorers

On August 14, 2022, Rodríguez signed with the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Si ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. He made five starts for the team down the stretch, recording a 3-1 record and 1.50 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 30.0 innings of work.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On February 20, 2023, Rodríguez signed with the

of the Mexican League.

International career

Rodríguez was selected for the

Venezuela national baseball team The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'') is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked sixth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, directly behind the US and ahead ...

at the

2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup The 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup, officially II U-23 Baseball World Cup, is the second edition of the U-23 Baseball World Cup tournament, third since the tournament's inception in 2014 as the 21U Baseball World Cup. The tournament was held at Edga ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Nivaldo 1997 births Living people Dominican Summer League Astros players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Fayetteville Woodpeckers players Gulf Coast Astros players Houston Astros players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela People from Carabobo Quad Cities River Bandits players Sugar Land Skeeters players Tri-City ValleyCats players Venezuela national baseball team players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Criollos de Caguas players