Cristofer Jesus Ogando (born October 23, 1993) is a Dominican 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 ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

who is a free agent. 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

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

Professional career

Miami Marlins

Ogando signed with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

on January 17, 2013, 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 ...

. He made his professional debut for the

Dominican Summer League Marlins The Dominican Summer Marlins are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica North division and is affiliated with the Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball t ...

in 2013, pitching in five games and ending the season with an 8.53

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 ...

. After being released by the Marlins on December 17, 2013, he did not play professionally from 2014 to 2017, instead playing in amateur baseball leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On June 5, 2018, Ogando signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He split the year between the Dominican Summer League Diamondbacks, rookie–level

Missoula Osprey The Missoula PaddleHeads are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Missoula, Montana, and play their home games at Ogren Pa ...

, and 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 ...

. In 19 relief outings split between the three affiliates, Ogando pitched to a 1.34 ERA with 45 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 13, 2018, Ogando was selected by the

in the minor league phase of the

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 ...

. He split the season between the Single–A

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which ...

and High–A

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

, accumulating a 2.63 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 8 saves. Ogando did not play in a game in due to the cancellation of the minor league 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 ...

. In , Ogando split the year between Bowling Green, the Double–A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

, and Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

, combining to post a 5–3 record and 4.91 ERA with 74 strikeouts. He began 2022 back with Durham, pitching to a 3.03 ERA across 21 games. On July 3, 2022, Ogando was selected to 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 promoted to the major leagues for the first time. Ogando made his debut that day 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, allowing one run in 2.0 innings and striking out

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladimir Guerrero Ramos Jr. (born March 16, 1999) is a Dominican-Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019, and he bats and throws right-handed. Guerrero ...

. He was sent back down to Durham the following day. On July 21, Ogando was designated for assignment following the signing of Roman Quinn. He had his contract selected again on September 23. On September 29, Ogando was designated for assignment following the promotion of Easton McGee. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Durham on October 1. Ogando elected free agency on October 11.

Pericos de Puebla

On April 19, 2023, Ogando signed with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: Puebla Parrots) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán. Established in 1938, the Pericos have won five Mexican League ...

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 ...

. In 10 appearances for Puebla, he logged a 6.75 ERA with 8 strikeouts in innings of work. Ogando was released by the team on May 11.

Charleston Dirty Birds

On June 20, 2023. Ogando signed with the

Charleston Dirty Birds The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

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 ...

. In 10 games for the Dirty Birds, he recorded a 3.72 ERA with 13 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Staten Island FerryHawks

On July 20, 2023, Ogando was traded to the

Staten Island FerryHawks The Staten Island FerryHawks are an American minor-league professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Staten Island. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league ...

in exchange 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 ...

. In 6 appearances for Staten Island, he registered a 2.57 ERA with 9 strikeouts and one save in 7.0 innings pitched. On January 8, 2024, Ogando was released by the FerryHawks.

Charleston Dirty Birds (second stint)

On February 17, 2024, Ogando signed with the

of the

. In 24 appearances (9 starts), he posted a 8–0 record with a 4.02 ERA and 90 strikeouts over innings. Ogando became a free agent following the season.

Saraperos de Saltillo

On December 5, 2024, Ogando signed with the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (1980, 2009 ...

of the

. He made seven starts for Saltillo in 2025, posting a 4-3 record and 7.43 ERA with 24 strikeouts across innings pitched. Ogando was released by the Saraperos on June 3, 2025.

Caliente de Durango

On June 6, 2025, Ogando signed with the

Caliente de Durango Caliente de Durango is a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Durango. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Francisco Villa, with a capacity of 6,000 people. The team was established in 2024 after the former Durango's Mexican L ...

of the

. In four starts for Durango, he struggled to a 12.75 ERA with seven strikeouts over 12 innings of work. Ogando was released by the Caliente on June 29.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogando, Cristofer 1993 births Living people Baseball players from Santo Domingo Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Major League Baseball pitchers Tampa Bay Rays players Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Dominican Summer League Marlins players Hillsboro Hops players Missoula Osprey players Montgomery Biscuits players Dominican Summer League Diamondbacks players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Pericos de Puebla players Charleston Dirty Birds players Saraperos de Saltillo players Caliente de Durango players

Professional career

Miami Marlins

Arizona Diamondbacks

Tampa Bay Rays

Pericos de Puebla

Charleston Dirty Birds

Staten Island FerryHawks

Charleston Dirty Birds (second stint)

Saraperos de Saltillo

Caliente de Durango

See also

References

External links