Tyler Blinn Duffey (born December 27, 1990) is an 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Toros de Tijuana of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. 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

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

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

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 ...

Amateur career

Duffey attended Bellaire High School in

Bellaire, Texas Bellaire is a city in southwestern Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area.. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 17,202. It is surrounded by th ...

. He then enrolled at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

to play

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

Rice Owls baseball The Rice Owls baseball team is the interscholastic baseball team representing Rice University in Houston, Texas, United States. The Owls frequently appeared in the NCAA tournament during the tenure of head coach Wayne Graham, which ran from 199 ...

team. He was named

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the 2011 Conference USA baseball tournament. After the 2011 season, 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

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

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 ...

. In May 2012, he was named the

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

pitcher of the week.

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

Minor leagues

The

selected Duffey in the fifth round, with the 160th overall selection, 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 ...

. He signed with the Twins and pitched for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2013, before receiving a promotion to the Fort Myers Miracle of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. He began the 2014 season with Fort Myers, and was promoted to the

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...

of the Double–A Eastern League, and then the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

of the Triple–A

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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. The Twins invited Duffey to

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 ...

as a non-roster player for 2015. He opened the season with the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

of the Double–A Southern League, and was promoted to Rochester in May.

Major leagues

With Tommy Milone going on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

, the Twins promoted Duffey to the major leagues to make his major league debut on August 5, 2015. Duffey finished the season with a 5–1 record in 10 starts for the Twins and poising himself for a rotation spot in 2016. After starting the season in Triple–A due to a logjam in the rotation, Duffey was called up on April 24. Duffey recorded his first major league hit, a

sacrifice bunt In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, a ...

, that same day in National League play against the Washington Nationals. On June 26, 2016, Duffey took a perfect game through 5.2 innings until it was broken up by Aaron Hicks. The Twins would still win 7–1 over the Yankees. Despite his 6.43 ERA, Duffey finished the season in the rotation, leading the team in wins as he went 9–12 in 26 starts. In 2017, Duffey was moved to the bullpen and became exclusively a relief pitcher. He appeared in 56 games and amassed a record of 2–3 with a 4.94 ERA. He made the Twins' roster in 2018 in the same role. He was sent down multiple times throughout the season to Triple–A, having appeared only in 19 games for the Twins. Duffey was converted into a reliever for the 2019 season and excelled in the role, registering an ERA of 2.50 in 58 games. With the 2020 Minnesota Twins, Duffey appeared in 22 games, compiling a 1–1 record with 1.88 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24.0 innings pitched. On May 20, 2021, Duffey was suspended two games after throwing at

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 ...

catcher Yermín Mercedes in a game on May 18. He made 64 total appearances for Minnesota in 2021, registering a 3.18 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 3 saves in innings pitched. Duffey made 40 appearances out of the

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 ...

for Minnesota in 2022, logging a 4.91 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 2 saves in 44.0 innings of work. On August 5, 2022, Duffey 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 Twins. He was released by the Twins organization on August 7.

Texas Rangers

On August 12, 2022, Duffey signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization. He made 4 scoreless appearances for the Triple–A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

and struck out five in five innings pitched. On August 28, Duffey opted out of his contract and became a free agent.

New York Yankees

On August 30, 2022, Duffey 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) Am ...

. He made seven 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 ...

, struggling to a 10.50 ERA and 1–1 record with 8 strikeouts in 6 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Chicago Cubs

On January 27, 2023, Duffey signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He made 18 appearances for the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, posting a 4-0 record and 4.43 ERA with 24 strikeouts in innings pitched. On June 1, Duffey exercised the opt-out clause in his contract, giving the Cubs 48 hours to add him to their

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 ...

or grant him his release. The Cubs declined to add Duffey to their roster, and he was formally released on June 3. He re-signed with the Cubs on a new minor league contract on June 16. After posting a 3.77 ERA in 36 appearances for Iowa, the Cubs selected Duffey's contract to the major league roster on October 1. He became a free agent following the season.

Kansas City Royals

On December 7, 2023, Duffey signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2024 season with 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 ...

, logging a 3.24 ERA across 6 games. On April 22, 2024, the Royals selected Duffey's to the major league roster. In 9 games for Kansas City, Duffey compiled a 5.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 9 innings pitched. He was designated for assignment by the team on May 24. Duffey cleared waivers and was sent outright to Omaha on May 29. He was released by the Royals organization on August 6.

Caliente de Durango

On February 24, 2025, Duffey signed with the Caliente de Durango of the

. In 21 appearances for Durango, Duffey logged a 2-3 record and 5.75 ERA with 25 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Toros de Tijuana

On June 2, 2025, Duffey was traded to the Toros de Tijuana of the

in exchange for Jimmy Cordero.

Personal life

Duffey's mother, Shanna, died in 2012 after complications from

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

led to a

blood clot A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...

. Duffey married his high school sweetheart, Sarah Hutchins, on December 19, 2015, and they had their first child, a son, in 2020. On March 6, 2024, Duffey announced that he had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous mole from his left shoulder.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffey, Tyler 1990 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Houston Caliente de Durango players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago Cubs players Elizabethton Twins players Falmouth Commodores players Fort Myers Miracle players Iowa Cubs players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players Omaha Storm Chasers players Rice Owls baseball players Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players