Richard Agustín Rodríguez (born March 4, 1990) 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

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

organization. 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

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Career

Houston Astros

On May 26, 2010, Rodríguez began his professional career by signing with 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 ...

organization, and was assigned to 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 ...

. He spent 2011 in the DSL and with 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 ...

. He spent 2012 with the

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby T ...

, GCL Astros, and

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

. In 2013, he played for Greeneville, 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

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats (often shortened to Cats) are a professional independent baseball team based in Troy, New York. The Tri-City name refers to the three nearby cities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy which make up New York State's Capital D ...

. In 2014, he spent time with the Bandits,

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League ...

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, and

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

. He began the 2015 season with the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...

Baltimore Orioles

On June 25, 2015, Rodríguez was acquired by the Orioles from the

for a player to be named later or cash. He spent the rest of the 2015 season with the

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

and the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. Rodriguez spent the entire 2016 season with Norfolk and was invited to Spring Training for the 2017 season. He did not make the club and was reassigned to the Tides. Rodríguez was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2017. Rodríguez was designated for assignment by the Orioles on September 17 following the promotion of

Tanner Scott Tanner Alexander Scott (born July 22, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2017. Amateur career Scott graduated from Howland ...

and outrighted the same day. In 5 relief appearances, he has posted a 14.29 ERA. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 8, 2017, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2018 season with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

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 ...

, and was promoted to the major leagues on April 13. In his first season as a Pirate, he went 4–3 with a 2.47 ERA in 63 games. He struck out 88 batters in innings. In 2019, he went 4–5 with a 3.72 ERA, striking out 63 batters in innings. He made 72 appearances, the most on the team among pitchers. In 2020 for Pittsburgh, Rodríguez pitched to a 3-2 record with a 2.70 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 4 saves in 23.1 innings of work.

Atlanta Braves

On July 30, 2021, Rodriguez was traded to the

in exchange for

Bryse Wilson Bryse Everett Wilson (born December 20, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. Wilson was drafted by ...

and Ricky DeVito. Between the two teams, he was 5-4 with 14 saves and a 2.94 ERA, as in 64 relief appearances he pitched 64.1 innings with an 0.933 WHIP. The Braves finished with an 88-73 record, clinching the NL East, and eventually won the

2021 World Series The 2021 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2021 season. The 117th World Series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves and the American League (AL) champion H ...

, giving the Braves their first title since 1995. On November 30, Rodríguez was non-tendered by the Braves, making him a free agent. On April 4, 2022, Rodríguez was suspended by MLB for 80 games after violation of their Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, testing positive for

Boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

New York Yankees

On June 21, 2022, Rodríguez signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

. Rodríguez made 17 appearances for the Triple-A

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 ...

, pitching to a 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.

Miami Marlins

On February 28, 2023, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Richard 1990 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Dominican Summer League Astros players Florida Complex League Yankees players Fresno Grizzlies players Greeneville Astros players Gulf Coast Astros players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Indianapolis Indians players Lancaster JetHawks players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pittsburgh Pirates players Quad Cities River Bandits players Tri-City ValleyCats players Baseball players from Santiago de los Caballeros