René Rivera (born July 31, 1983) is a Puerto Rican

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

who is a free agent. 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

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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, Minnesota Twins,

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 penn ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, Chicago Cubs,

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 h ...

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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

Rivera was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the second round (49th overall) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft as a 17-year-old. He was chosen as a compensation pick from the Texas Rangers for the signing of

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

. Rivera played most of the 2004 season with the High-A California League

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. Franchis ...

but played with both the Triple-A and Major League clubs in September. He made his Major League debut September 22, , playing in two games for the Mariners that season as a late-inning replacement. Rivera began 2005 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He was promoted to the Mariners on May 15, but optioned back to San Antonio on May 20 without appearing in a game. He was again promoted to the Mariners on May 30 when starting catcher Miguel Olivo was sent down to Triple-A. On May 31, Rivera had his first Major League start and base hit, going 3 for 5 at the plate. Rivera shared catching duties with Pat Borders in June and was optioned back to San Antonio when Olivo returned. He played with the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

in August and returned to the Mariners in September. In 2005, he had 12 starts at catcher and 19 hits in 48 at-bats at the Major League level. Rivera was one of the final players cut from the roster in 2006 spring training and began the year at Triple-A. He was back with the Mariners by mid-April and served as a back-up to

Kenji Johjima is a Japanese former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for four years with the Seattle Mariners in the American League, then returned to Japan and played for the Hanshin Tigers. On November 21, 2005 ...

for the remainder of the season, batting .152 in 99 at-bats over 35 games. During the off-season, the Mariners weighed the benefits of allowing the young catcher to develop his hitting in the minor leagues against his providing limited offense in a back-up role in the Majors. In , Rivera played for the Mariners Double-A affiliate, the

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

, batting .214 in 91 games. He was granted free agency in November.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On November 22, 2007, Rivera signed a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. The Dodgers assigned him to Double-A

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

to begin the season. While at Jacksonville, Rivera began playing some first base, along with catcher, and was promoted to Triple-A

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

on June 3. He hit .250 across both levels and was granted free agency at the end of the season.

New York Mets

Rivera signed with the

in November 2008. He spent the 2009 season with the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

, appearing in 63 games at catcher and 3 at third base. He hit .234 with 9 home runs.

Camden Riversharks

Rivera began the 2010 season with the independent Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 22 games with Camden, Rivera batted .280/.337/.610 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI.

New York Yankees

The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

signed Rivera on May 20, 2010, to a minor league contract. He was initially assigned to the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 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 affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

and was later moved to the Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the ...

Minnesota Twins

On December 17, 2010, Rivera signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. His contract was purchased by the Twins on May 5, 2011. He was brought up from Triple-A to provide back-up to

Drew Butera Andrew Edward Butera (; born August 9, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently on the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Angels. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles D ...

, who was the Twins' primary catcher with

Joe Mauer Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman, who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. A six-time All-Star, Mauer is the only c ...

on the disabled list. He went back to Triple-A in early July, but rejoined the team on August 28 when Mauer was sitting out. He finished the year with the Twins, hitting .144 in 104 at-bats over 45 games on the season. Rivera was granted free agency at the end of the 2011 season, but re-signed with the Twins on a minor league deal and an invitation to spring training. Rivera stayed with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings for the full 2012 season, batting .226 in 95 games. Rivera was displeased with the Twins when he was passed over and they called up catcher Chris Herrmann from Double-A to add depth in September.

San Diego Padres

Rivera was signed to a minor league contract by the

on December 12, 2012. He was recalled from the Triple-A

Tucson Padres The Tucson Padres were a minor league baseball team representing Tucson, Arizona in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). They were the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team moved to Tucson from Portland, Oregon for the 2011 season. I ...

on July 7, 2013, to replace

Yasmani Grandal Yasmani Grandal (born November 8, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball catcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Milwaukee Bre ...

, who was placed on the disabled list. He was hitting .343 with Tucson at the time of his recall. He remained the backup to

Nick Hundley Nicholas John Hundley (born September 8, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and current front office executive. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Ba ...

for the rest of the season. In 23 games for San Diego, he hit .254/.268/.328 with 7 RBI and 4 runs. The Padres opened

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

carrying three catchers, and Rivera was selected as the Opening Day catcher. Rivera became the personal catcher for

Andrew Cashner Andrew Burton Cashner (born September 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Baltimor ...

during the season and picked up more starts once Nick Hundley was traded in late May. He finished the year with the majority of starts at catcher for the Padres with 85. On August 27, Rivera hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning after hitting a game-tying home run in the 9th inning, becoming the first Padres player since Adrián González in 2010 to have tying and winning RBIs in the same game. On the year, Rivera batted .252 with 11 home runs in 294 at-bats over a total of 103 games.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 19, 2014, the Padres traded Rivera,

Jake Bauers Jakob Christopher Bauers (born October 6, 1995) is an American professional baseball first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter in the New York Yankees organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleve ...

, and Burch Smith to the

in a three-team trade that saw the Rays trade

Wil Myers William Bradford Myers (born December 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padre ...

, Jose Castillo and

Ryan Hanigan Ryan Michael Hanigan (born August 16, 1980) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, and Colorado Rockies. After graduating from And ...

to the Padres, the Padres trade Joe Ross and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

to the

, and Washington trade

Steven Souza Steven Jeffrey Souza Jr. (born April 24, 1989) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodg ...

and Travis Ott to Tampa Bay. In 2015, he was mainly used as the personal catcher for

Chris Archer Christopher Alan Archer (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. Archer attended Cla ...

. Rivera finished the 2015 season hitting .178 with 5 home runs and 26 RBIs. Rivera was released by the Rays on March 30, 2016.

New York Mets (second stint)

On April 5, 2016, Rivera signed a minor league deal with the

. He was called up to the major league team on April 26, 2016, when

Travis d'Arnaud Travis Emmanuel d'Arnaud (born February 10, 1989), nicknamed Lil D, is an American professional baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the supplemental first round o ...

was placed on the disabled list. He started for the Mets in their Wild Card game against the San Francisco Giants, going 1 for 3 and throwing out

Denard Span Keiunta Denard Span (born February 27, 1984) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mar ...

. Throughout the season he was

Noah Syndergaard Noah Seth Syndergaard (born August 29, 1992), nicknamed "Thor", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels an ...

and

Seth Lugo Jacob Seth Lugo (born November 17, 1989), nicknamed "Quarterrican", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets. Lugo made his MLB deb ...

's personal catcher. Rivera appeared in 65 games for New York, posting a .222/.291/.341 slash line with 6 home runs and 26 RBI. On December 3, 2016, Rivera and the Mets avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

Chicago Cubs

On August 19, 2017, the Chicago Cubs claimed Rivera off waivers. He was added to the 25-man roster and was the starting catcher for the Cubs the following day against the Toronto Blue Jays. In 20 games with Chicago, Rivera slashed .341/.408/.591 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI.

Los Angeles Angels

On January 9, 2018, Rivera signed with the

. In 30 games with the Angels, Rivera logged a .244/.287/.439 slash line with 4 home runs and 11 RBI.

Atlanta Braves

Rivera was claimed off waivers by the

on August 29, 2018. Rivera appeared in 3 games for Atlanta, and went 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts.

San Francisco Giants

On February 8, 2019, he signed a minor league deal with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. Rivera was released on March 23, 2019.

New York Mets (third stint)

On March 25, 2019, Rivera signed a minor league deal with the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. On August 24, the Mets selected Rivera's contract. In 9 games with the Mets, Rivera went 4-for-17 with 1 home run and 3 RBI. On January 21, 2020, Rivera re-signed with the Mets on a minor league deal. On July 19, 2020, Rivera was selected to the Mets' 40-man roster. Rivera only appeared in 2 games for the Mets before undergoing season ending surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow.

Cleveland Indians

On April 14, 2021, Rivera signed a minor league contract with the

organization. The Indians selected Rivera's contract on May 5. Rivera slashed .236/.300/.400 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI in 21 games before he was designated for assignment on July 3. He was released by the Indians on July 8.

Washington Nationals

On July 16, 2021, Rivera signed a major league contract with the

. He made his Nationals debut at starting catcher the same evening in a game against the

. In 4 games for the Nationals, Rivera hit .214 with 0 home runs and 0 RBI's. On August 14, Rivera was released by the Nationals.

Accomplishments

*2004 California League Mid-Season All-Star team *2002

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

Post-season All-Star team *MVP of the 2001 Excellence Tournament held in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

Personal life

Rivera is married to Mariel Perez, daughter of Eddie 'La Bala' Pérez, a founding member of

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican salsa orchestra based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012, it was often considered Puerto Rico's most successful musical group. The ...

. She gave birth to twins in September, 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Rene 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball catchers Seattle Mariners players Minnesota Twins players San Diego Padres players Tampa Bay Rays players New York Mets players Chicago Cubs players Los Angeles Angels players Atlanta Braves players Cleveland Indians players Washington Nationals players Arizona League Mariners players Everett AquaSox players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Tacoma Rainiers players San Antonio Missions players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players Jacksonville Suns players Las Vegas 51s players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Camden Riversharks players Rochester Red Wings players Tucson Padres players Gigantes de Carolina players Tigres del Licey players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Lobos de Arecibo players Senadores de San Juan players Indios de Mayagüez players Leones de Ponce players 2017 World Baseball Classic players Syracuse Mets players Twitch (service) streamers