Oliver Ortega (born October 2, 1996) is a Dominican

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 ...

in the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

organization. He has 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

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels

Ortega signed with the

as an international free agent on February 10, 2015. He spent the 2015 season with the DSL Angels, going 1–3 with a 4.33 ERA over innings. He spent the 2016 season with the

AZL Angels The Arizona Complex League Angels are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Te ...

, going 2–3 with a 2.83 ERA over innings. Ortega did not appear in a game in 2017. He spent the 2018 season with the

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Basebal ...

, going 4–5 with a 3.51 ERA over 82 innings. Ortega split the 2019 season between the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchise ...

and the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, going a combined 4–5 with a 3.34 ERA and 121 strikeouts over innings. Ortega was a 2019

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

All-Star. Ortega received his first promotion to the major leagues when the Angels selected his contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on September 1, 2021. He made his major league debut on September 8, 2021, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

. On June 26, 2022, Ortega recorded his first major league save, pitching the final two innings of a 2–1 victory over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. He was designated for assignment on December 22, 2022.

Minnesota Twins

On January 6, 2023, Ortega was claimed off waivers by the

. On January 10, Ortega was designated for assignment by Minnesota following the acquisition of

A. J. Alexy Adam John Alexy (born April 21, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Texas Rangers. Amateur career Alexy attended Twin Valley Hi ...

. On January 17, Ortega cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega, Oliver 1996 births Living people Arizona League Angels players Burlington Bees players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Angels players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mobile BayBears players People from Nagua Rocket City Trash Pandas players Salt Lake Bees players Tigres del Licey players