José Luis Cuas (; born June 28, 1994) is a Dominican-American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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in the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

organization. He has previously played in

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(MLB) for 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Amateur career

Cuas attended Grand Street Campus High School in

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. Cuas was drafted by the

in the 40th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

but did not sign. He attended the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the Terrapins. In 2014, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. Cuas was a three-year starter as an infielder at Maryland, and enjoyed his best season as a junior in 2015, hitting .242/.329/.442/.771 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI. He was drafted by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

in the 11th round of the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

and signed with them.

Professional career

Milwaukee Brewers

Cuas spent his debut season of 2015 with the rookie–level

Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...

, hitting .260/.319/.430/. with 7 home runs and 40 RBI. He spent the 2016 season with the High–A

Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium. The team left Brev ...

, playing in 120 games and hitting .170/.263/.240 with 4 home runs and 27 RBI. Cuas split the 2017 season between the Single–A

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are nam ...

and the High–A

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 ...

, hitting a cumulative .187/.277/.321 with 5 home runs and 28 RBI. Cuas was converted to a

prior to the 2018 season. He opened the season with Wisconsin, going 2–0 with an 8.38 ERA over innings before being released on July 10.

Long Island Ducks

Cuas signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

and finished the 2018 season with them, going 2–1 with a 2.38 ERA and 17 strikeouts over innings. Cuas opened the 2019 season back with Long Island. It was with the Ducks that Cuas began pitching sidearm. Cuas had been throwing sidearm while warming up until, on the advice of Ducks teammate Francisco Rodríguez, he began to work on throwing sidearm full-time.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On May 25, 2019, Cuas was signed to a minor league contract by the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. Between the Low-A

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affilia ...

, the Single-A

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games a ...

, and the High-A

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

, Cuas posted a combined 6–3 record with a 1.60 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 45 innings. Cuas was released by Arizona on May 22, 2020, and did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Cuas took a job as a

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delivery driver during the day and trained with his younger brother in a park in Brooklyn at night.

Long Island Ducks (second stint)

On April 16, 2021, Cuas signed with the

of the

. He pitched in 5 games for the Ducks and threw 11 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts.

Kansas City Royals

On June 17, 2021, Cuas signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Cuas split his affiliated time in 2021 between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Royals, the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. T ...

, and the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

, going a combined 5–1 with a 1.51 ERA and 44 strikeouts over innings. He received a non-roster invitation to MLB

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2022. On May 30, Kansas City selected Cuas' contract and promoted him to the Major Leagues for the first time. He made his Major League debut the following day against the

Cleveland Guardians 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 , the team has played its home gam ...

. He struck out the first batter he faced,

Oscar Mercado Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

, and retired the next two hitters in order for a perfect inning of relief. On August 9, Cuas recorded his first career save after pitching a scoreless of an inning against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Cuas made the Royals'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster in 2023 as part of the club's

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

Chicago Cubs

On July 31, 2023, the Royals traded Cuas to the

in exchange for Nelson Velázquez. In 27 appearances for the Cubs, he compiled a 3.04 ERA with 19 strikeouts across innings pitched. Cuas made nine appearances for Chicago in 2024, struggling to a 7.43 ERA with 14 strikeouts across innings pitched. On June 16, 2024, Cuas was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Cubs.

Toronto Blue Jays

On June 23, 2024, Cuas was claimed off waivers by the

. In 4 games for Toronto, he struggled to a 9.00 ERA with 3 strikeouts over 3 innings. Cuas was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on September 5.

Philadelphia Phillies

On September 7, 2024, Cuas was claimed off waivers by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. In 4 games for the Triple–A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

, he recorded a 4.91 ERA with 5 strikeouts across innings pitched. Cuas was designated for assignment following the signing of Joe Ross on December 23. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on January 10, 2025. In seven appearances for the IronPigs, Cuas struggled to a 13.50 ERA with four strikeouts across innings pitched. He was released by the Phillies organization on May 1.

Atlanta Braves

On May 25, 2025, Cuas signed a minor league contract with the

Personal life

At the time of his Major League debut, Cuas had a four-year-old son and one-year-old daughter with his longtime girlfriend. His younger brother, Alex, played college baseball at

Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...

References

External links

Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuas, José 1994 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Arizona Complex League Royals players Baseball infielders Baseball players from Brooklyn Baseball players from Santo Domingo Brevard County Manatees players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Carolina Mudcats players Chicago Cubs players Columbus Clingstones players Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Helena Brewers players Hillsboro Hops players Iowa Cubs players Kane County Cougars players Kansas City Royals players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Maryland Terrapins baseball players North Adams SteepleCats players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Tigres del Licey players Toronto Blue Jays players Visalia Rawhide players Wareham Gatemen players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players

Amateur career

Professional career

Milwaukee Brewers

Long Island Ducks

Arizona Diamondbacks

Long Island Ducks (second stint)

Kansas City Royals

Chicago Cubs

Toronto Blue Jays

Philadelphia Phillies

Atlanta Braves

Personal life

See also

References

External links