Roenis Leliebre Elías (; ; born August 1, 1988) is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n left-handed

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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the Chicago Cubs organization. He made his MLB debut in 2014. He previously played in MLB for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

Professional career

Cuban career

Elías pitched two seasons for

Guantánamo Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province. Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditi ...

in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

. In the 2008–09 season, he pitched 31 innings in 18 games (one start), compiling a 2–3 record with a 7.84

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). In the 2009–10 season, he had a 7.14 ERA with 5–7 record while pitching 63 innings in 21 games (17 starts). Elías defected from Cuba in 2010, hoping to sign a contract with a Major League Baseball team. He traveled 30 hours by boat from Cuba to Cancun, Mexico. He initially played on the "B" team of the Sultanes de Monterrey in the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

Seattle Mariners

Elías signed a minor league contract with the

on May 3, 2011. He made his minor league debut that season and pitched for the Rookie League

Pulaski Mariners Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in th ...

and

Arizona League Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is ...

, and the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

. Overall, he went 5–2 with a 4.28 ERA and 41 strikeouts over innings pitched. In 2012, he played for the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

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 eigh ...

. He started 26 games, finishing with an 11–6 record, 3.76 ERA, 128 strikeouts over innings pitched. He played the 2013 season with the Double-A

Jackson Generals 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 ...

. He started 22 games, had a 6–11 record and 121 strikeouts over 130 innings. Invited to spring training by the Mariners in 2014, Elías competed for a rotation spot on the Mariners' Opening Day roster, making the team as one of the starting pitchers. Elías made his Major League debut April 3, 2014. Against the Detroit Tigers on June 1, Elias recorded the team's first

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

by a rookie since

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

. For the 2014 season, Elías pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Mariners, compiling a 10–12 record with 3.85 ERA in innings pitched. During the 2015 season, Elías made 22 appearances (20 starts) for Seattle, pitching innings with 4.14 ERA while compiling a record of 5–8. He also made 12 starts for 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 ...

, with a 4–2 record and 7.34 ERA in innings pitched. Overall for the Mariners, Elías appeared in 51 MLB games (49 starts) with a 15–20 record with 3.97 ERA in 279 innings pitched.

Boston Red Sox

On December 7, 2015, the Mariners traded Elías and Carson Smith to the

for

Wade Miley Wade Allen Miley (born November 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Miley in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the ...

and Jonathan Aro. Elías made his Boston debut in relief on April 23, 2016, against the Houston Astros. In June, he was called up from the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

and faced his former teammates in his first starting appearance with the Red Sox on June 17, giving up seven runs over four innings. Elías was optioned back to Pawtucket after the game. He made one additional appearance for Boston during the season, pitching two innings of one-run relief against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

on August 16. Overall, for the 2016 season, Elías made three appearances for Boston, pitching innings with a 12.91 ERA and 0–1 record. Elías started the 2017 season on the disabled list, due to a muscle strain suffered in early March. After missing several months of the season, he played with four different Red Sox

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

s; the

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

and

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

, Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

, and Triple-A Pawtucket. For those four teams, he pitched a total of innings in 10 games with a 6.96 ERA and a 1–6 record. Late in the season, he made a single appearance for Boston, pitching of an inning on September 4 against the

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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

; he walked one batter and struck out one batter. Elías started the 2018 season with Triple-A Pawtucket, where he appeared in four games in relief, pitching a total of innings with a 1.23 ERA, 1–0 record, and one save. Overall for the Red Sox, Elías appeared in 4 MLB games (one start) with a 0–1 record with 12.38 ERA in 8 innings pitched.

Second stint with Mariners

On April 23, 2018, the Red Sox traded Elías to the Seattle Mariners for 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 ...

(PTNBL) or cash considerations. They agreed on Eric Filia as the PTBNL in June, but Filia failed his physical exam with the Red Sox, and was returned to Seattle, with the Red Sox acquiring cash considerations instead. After reporting to Triple-A Tacoma, he went 2–4 with a 4.94 ERA (17 ER, 31.0 IP) with 27 strikeouts and 12 walks in 7 games (6 starts). On June 1, 2018, Elías was called up from Tacoma to make his season debut against the

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 ...

, in which he tossed two scoreless innings in relief, earning the win. Throughout the season, Elías was typically used as a

long reliever A long reliever or long-relief pitcher is a relief pitcher in baseball who enters the game if the starting pitcher leaves the game early. Long relievers often enter in the first three innings of a game when the starting pitcher cannot continue, w ...

spot starter S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...

, finishing 2018 with a 2.65 ERA, 154 ERA+, 3.08 FIP, and 2.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 appearances (51.0 IP), including 4 starts. Following the departure of All-Star closer Edwin Díaz in the 2018 offseason as well as an early-season injury to newly-acquired closer

Hunter Strickland Hunter Drew Strickland (born September 24, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Ta ...

, Elías was used exclusively out of the bullpen especially in high leverage situations, ultimately becoming the team's new closer. In 44 games (47.0 IP) with the Mariners in 2019, he pitched to a 3.64 ERA with 14 saves. 45 strikeouts, and 17 walks.

Washington Nationals

On July 31, 2019, the Mariners traded Elías and

to the

in exchange for Aaron Fletcher, Taylor Guilbeau, and Elvis Alvarado. Elías made his Nationals debut on August 2, 2019, recording the final two outs of the sixth inning. However, he was forced to leave the game and was placed on the 10-day injured list after he pulled his right hamstring running down the first-base line during an at-bat the following inning. In 2019 he pitched three innings for the Nationals. Between the Mariners and the Nationals combined in 2019, he was 4–2 with 14 saves and a 3.96 ERA, as in 48 relief appearances he pitched 50.0 innings. The Nationals finished the 2019 year with a 93–69 record, clinching the wild card, and eventually won the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

over the Astros. Elias was not part of the Nationals' postseason run, but still won his first world championship. Elias was outrighted off of the Nationals 40-man roster on October 9, 2020, and elected free agency the next day.

Third stint with Mariners

On January 7, 2021, Elías signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On March 16, it was announced that Elias had suffered a torn

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

that required Tommy John surgery and cause him to miss the 2021 season. On March 26, Elías was released by the Mariners. On April 1, Elias re-signed with the Mariners on a new minor league contract. On May 16, 2022, Elias was selected to the active roster. He made one relief appearance for the Mariners, allowing one earned run on one hit and two walks against the

. On May 19, Elias was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the Triple-A

. On May 27, Elias was selected back to the active roster. The Mariners designated Elías for assignment on June 20, 2022. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma on June 23. On October 17, 2022, Elías elected free agency.

Chicago Cubs

On December 20, 2022, Elías signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elias, Roenis 1988 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Arizona League Mariners players Boston Red Sox players Cardenales de Lara players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Clinton LumberKings players Defecting Cuban baseball players High Desert Mavericks players Indios de Guantanamo players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Pawtucket Red Sox players Sportspeople from Guantánamo Portland Sea Dogs players Pulaski Mariners players Salem Red Sox players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Washington Nationals players 2023 World Baseball Classic players