Víctor José Reyes (born October 5, 1994) is a Venezuelan 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 ...

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 catch ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2018.

Career

Atlanta Braves

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 ...

signed Reyes as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in July 2011. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the DSL Braves where he batted .296 with 33

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs) and 12

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s in 52 games. He spent 2013 with both the Gulf Coast League Braves and Danville Braves, slashing .342/.387/.409 with 25 RBIs in 49 games, and 2014 with the Rome Braves where he compiled a .259 batting average with 34 RBIs in 89 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks

In April 2015, the Braves traded Reyes to 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 ...

for the 75th pick in the 2015 MLB draft. This draft pick was used by the Braves to select pitcher A.J. Minter. Arizona assigned Reyes to the Kane County Cougars and he spent the whole season there, slashing .311/.343/.389 with two home runs and 59 RBIs in 121 games. In 2016, he played for the

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 ...

where he batted .303 with six home runs and 54 RBIs in 124 games, and in 2017, he played with the Jackson Generals where he hit .292 with four home runs, 51 RBIs, 29 doubles, 59 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases. After the 2017 season, he played for the Salt River Rafters of the

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

, where he hit .316 and scored eight runs and was selected to the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Team.

Detroit Tigers

On December 14, 2017, the

selected Reyes from the

organization with the first selection of the 2017

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Reyes made the Tigers' 2018

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 ...

25-man roster. Reyes made his major league debut with the Tigers on April 1, but left the game early after a spike cut his arm. Through the first half of the season, Reyes played sparingly, primarily serving as a pinch runner for Víctor Martínez or as a late-inning defensive replacement. Through the 2018 All-Star break, Reyes was hitting .221 in only 96 plate appearances. On September 2, Reyes hit his first career major league home run, a solo shot off Sonny Gray of 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) Am ...

. Reyes also went 4-for-5 in the contest for his first career four-hit game. He would finish the 2018 season hitting .222 with 1 home run in 212 at-bats. He also stole 9 bases in 10 attempts. On March 14, 2019, the Tigers sent Reyes to the Toledo Mud Hens to begin the 2019 season. After hitting .302 in Toledo with nine home runs and 55 RBIs in 65 games, Reyes was recalled to the Tigers on July 4. In 276 at-bats for the Tigers, Reyes hit .304 with three home runs and 25 RBIs. In the shortened 2020 season, Reyes primarily batted leadoff for the Tigers. In 57 games, he hit .277 with four home runs and 14 RBIs, while stealing eight bases in 10 attempts. Reyes made the Tigers 2021 opening day roster. On May 8, he was optioned to Triple-A Toledo after hitting just .143 in 63 at-bats. Reyes was recalled to the MLB roster on May 24. On August 27, 2021, Reyes hit a pinch-hit

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...

, becoming the first MLB player to do so since Tyler Saladino on May 14, 2018, and the first Tigers player to do since Ben Oglivie on June 2, 1976. In 76 games at the major league level in 2021, Reyes hit .258 with 5 home runs. On March 22, 2022, the Tigers and Reyes agreed on a one-year contract worth $1.4 million, avoiding arbitration. On November 10, 2022, the Tigers outrighted Reyes off the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and Reyes rejected the outright assignment to the Triple–A Toledo Mud Hens, instead opting for free agency.

Chicago White Sox

On December 10, 2022, Reyes signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He spent the 2023 season with the Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, playing in 128 games and batting .279/.330/.462 with career–highs in home runs (20) and RBI (83). Reyes elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.

Lotte Giants

On December 16, 2023, Reyes signed a one–year, $950,000 contract with the

of the

. In 144 games for the Tigers, he slashed .352/.394/.511 with 15 home runs and 111 RBI, and set a KBO record with 202 hits. On November 26, 2024, Reyes re–signed with the Giants on a $1 million contract.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Victor 1994 births Living people Charlotte Knights players Detroit Tigers players Danville Braves players Dominican Summer League Braves players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Kane County Cougars players KBO League outfielders Leones del Caracas players Lotte Giants players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Rome Braves players Salt River Rafters players Baseball players from Barcelona, Venezuela Toledo Mud Hens players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Visalia Rawhide players