Travis Timothy Demeritte (born September 30, 1994) is an American

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 ...

second baseman and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

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

Texas Rangers

Demeritte was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

out of Winder-Barrow High School in

Winder, Georgia Winder (pronounced WINE-der) is a city and the county seat of Barrow County, Georgia, United States. It is located east of Atlanta and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The population was 18,338 at the 2020 census. History The Georgia Gene ...

. Demeritte made his professional debut with the

Arizona League Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is compose ...

and spent all of 2013 there, batting .285 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 39 games. In 2014, he played for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

where he batted .211 with 25 home runs and 66 RBIs in 118 games, and began playing second base regularly, having moved from his natural position as shortstop. In 2015, Demeritte returned to Hickory. That June, he tested positive for

Furosemide Furosemide is a loop diuretic medication used to treat fluid build-up due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease. It may also be used for the treatment of high blood pressure. It can be taken by injection into a vein or by mouth ...

, and was suspended for eighty games. While serving the suspension, Demeritte played in the Dominican Republic and for the

Adelaide Bite The Adelaide Giants are a professional baseball team that plays in the Australian Baseball League. They are one of the six foundation franchises of the league, in its first incarnation from 1989 to 1999. The team adopted the name Bite or Adelaid ...

of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it sh ...

, setting the league's single season record for games played (56) and strikeouts (60). Upon his return to Minor League Baseball, Demeritte was demoted to the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

, where he finished the season. In 53 games between Hickory and Spokane he batted .232 with five home runs and 19 RBIs. Demeritte began 2016 with the

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight ...

. In a June 2016 game, against the

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

, Demeritte was hit by a pitch, an action which caused a bench-clearing brawl. The next month, he appeared in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

Atlanta Braves

On July 27, 2016, the Rangers traded Demeritte to the Braves for

Lucas Harrell Lucas William Bradley Harrell (born June 3, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays. ...

and

Darío Álvarez Darío Rafael Álvarez Espinal (born January 17, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Guelph Royals of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Atlanta Brave ...

. He was assigned to the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...

. In 123 games between High Desert and Carolina he slashed .266/.361/.554 with 28 home runs and 70 RBIs. During the 2016 offseason, Demeritte was assigned to the

Salt River Rafters The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick near Scottsdale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility o ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

. He spent 2017 with the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. T ...

where he compiled a .231 batting average with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs in 124 games, and he returned to Mississippi in 2018, slashing .222/.316/.416 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 128 games. During the 2018 season, Demeritte began playing the outfield. At the end of the season, Demeritte was named the Mississippi Braves player of the year. He began 2019 with the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

. At midseason, Demeritte was selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Detroit Tigers

On July 31, 2019, Demeritte and pitcher

Joey Wentz Joseph Barrett Wentz (born October 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Atlanta Braves selected Wentz with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft and traded him to t ...

were traded to the

in exchange for

Shane Greene Shane Greene (born November 17, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees select ...

. At the time of the trade, he was hitting .286 with 24 home runs and 74 RBI for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. On August 1, the Tigers selected Demeritte's contract and promoted him to the major leagues to take the place of outfielder

Nicholas Castellanos Nicholas Alexander Castellanos (; born March 4, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds ...

, who was also traded on July 31.

2019

Demeritte made his major league debut on August 2 versus the Texas Rangers, hitting a triple off

Lance Lynn Michael Lance Lynn (born May 12, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Texas Rangers. ...

for his first MLB hit. On August 8 against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

, Demeritte hit his first major league home run off Josh Staumont. In 169 at-bats for the 2019 Tigers, Demeritte hit .225 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI.

2020

Demeritte started the 2020 season in the Tigers’ alternate training site, which replaced the minor leagues in the

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 ...

shortened season. He was called up from the training site on July 31, 2020, to replace an injured player. Overall with the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Demeritte batted .172 with no home runs and 4 RBIs in 18 games.

2021

On February 5, 2021, Demeritte was designated for assignment following the signing of

Jonathan Schoop Jonathan Rufino Jezus Schoop ( ; born October 16, 1991) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesot ...

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On February 12, 2021, Demeritte was claimed off waivers by the

. On February 21, 2021, Demeritte was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and assigned to the Triple-A

. Demeritte hit .282/.363/.575 with 21 home runs and 57 RBI in 81 games for Triple-A Gwinnett. On November 6, 2021, the Braves selected Demeritte's contract to the 40-man roster, and on April 20, 2022, the Braves called Demeritte up from the minors. On April 29, Demeritte hit an

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score a ...

against the Texas Rangers, the first inside-the-park home run in

Globe Life Field Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. It is located just south of Choctaw Stadium, the Rangers' former home ballpark. History Background On May ...

history. On August 16, 2022, Demeritte was designated for assignment. On October 17, Demeritte elected free agency.

Personal life

Demeritte's parents, Trent Demeritte and Felecia Rodgers, live in

Windsor, Georgia Windsor is an unincorporated community in Walton County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. History A post office called Windsor was established in 1835, and remained in operation until 1902. The community most likely was named after Windsor, England, ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demeritte, Travis 1994 births Living people Adelaide Bite players American expatriate baseball players in Australia Arizona League Rangers players Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Carolina Mudcats players Detroit Tigers players Gwinnett Stripers players Hickory Crawdads players High Desert Mavericks players Major League Baseball outfielders Mississippi Braves players People from Winder, Georgia Salt River Rafters players Spokane Indians players Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area