Dixon Javier Machado Moreno (born February 22, 1992) 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 ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

in the

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 ...

organization. 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 ...

and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, and in 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 ...

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 ...

Career

Detroit Tigers

Minor leagues

The

signed Machado as an international amateur

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 2008. The Tigers purchased Machado's contract after the 2012 season, adding 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 ...

to protect him from 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 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 ...

on December 4, 2013, to make room on the 40-man roster for

Joe Nathan Joseph Michael Nathan (born November 22, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Detro ...

. He was added to the 40-man roster again on November 20, 2014. During the 2014 season, he hit .305/.391/.442 with five home runs and 32 RBI, with a .965

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

in 90 games with the Double-A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

. He also appeared in 41 games with the Class-A Advanced

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

, hitting .252 with one home run and eight RBI, with a .972 fielding percentage. Machado was named the Eastern League Player of the Month for the month of August 2014. He hit .410 (34-for-83) with six doubles, three home runs, 17 runs scored, 15 RBI, five

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, a .515 on-base percentage and a .590

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

in 25 games during the month. He ranked first among all Eastern League hitters in batting average (.410), on-base percentage (.590), and OPS (1.105), tied for second in hits (34), third in slugging percentage (.590) and walks (18).

Major leagues

The Tigers promoted Machado to the major leagues from the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

on May 24, 2015. He made his major league debut the next day in a game against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. Prior to being called up, Machado was hitting .274 with one home run and 16 RBI in 40 games with the Mud Hens. On May 27, Machado got his first career major league hit, a single off of Sean Doolittle of the

in the sixth inning. Machado was named to the International League's all-star team in 2015, and played in the Triple-A All-Star Game. On September 1, 2015, Machado was named to the

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 ...

post-season All-Star game. Machado was hitting .259 with 47 RBI, 15 steals, and a .640 OPS in 124 games with the Mud Hens. His .976 fielding percentage ranked among the best for International League shortstops. Machado was named the Venezuelan Winter League Player of Week for the week ending October 26, 2015. While playing for

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A., better known by its commercial name as the Leones del Caracas, is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVPB). The owner and sole shareholder of the sports club is Ricardo C ...

, Machado batted 22-for-57 (.386) with seven doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs. Machado spent most of 2016 with the Toledo Mud Hens, batting .266/.349/.356, receiving a promotion to Detroit in mid-August. He played in eight games for the Tigers after he was promoted. Machado made the 2017

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 for the Tigers. On July 6, he hit his first major league home run off Chris Stratton of the

. Machado hit .259/.302/.319 in 166 at bats for the 2017 Tigers. Machado again made the Tigers' Opening Day roster in 2018. He hit a ninth-inning walk-off home run on April 18, lifting the Tigers to a win over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, but was designated for assignment on July 4 after batting .206/.263/.290 in 67 games with only that one home run. After clearing waivers unclaimed by any other major league team, Machado could have elected free agency but chose to accept the assignment to AAA Toledo on July 8, for whom he batted .225/.321/.279. He declared free agency on October 3, 2018.

Chicago Cubs

On November 29, 2018, Machado signed a minor league contract 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 ...

. He was released prior to the start of the season on March 26, 2019. On March 29, 2019, Machado signed a minor league contract with the

, and was assigned to 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 ...

. With Iowa he batted .261/.371/.480 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI, and a .978 fielding percentage at shortstop. Machado elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Lotte Giants

On November 22, 2019, Machado signed a one-year contract with the

of the

. On November 6, 2020, Machado re-signed with the Giants on a one-year, $650,000 deal with an option for the 2022 season. Over Machado's two years with the Lotte Giants, he played in 277 games, hitting .280/.359/.393 with 17 home runs, 125 RBIs, and 23 steals in 949 at bats, with a .982 fielding percentage at shortstop. He became a free agent following the 2021 season.

Chicago Cubs (second stint)

On December 17, 2021, Machado signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2022 season with the Triple-A

. In 2022 with Iowa, he batted .312/.402/.394 with 10 steals in 340 at bats, with a .990 fielding percentage at shortstop. He requested a trade from the organization on July 31, 2022.

San Francisco Giants

The Cubs traded Machado to the

for Raynel Espinal on July 31, 2022, and the Giants promoted Machado to the major leagues to fill in for injured shortstops Brandon Crawford and Thairo Estrada. On August 6, the Giants designated Machado for assignment. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

on August 9. Machado elected free agency following the season on October 6.

Houston Astros

On November 22, 2022, Machado signed a minor league contract with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

that included an invitation to Major League

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 2023, he played in 81 games split between the Triple–A

Sugar Land Space Cowboys The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metro ...

and rookie–level Florida Complex League Astros, batting a combined .231/.380/.356 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. Machado played in 49 games for Sugar Land and the FCL Astros in 2024, slashing .228/.335/.305 with three home runs and 23 RBI. He was released by the Astros organization on August 31, 2024.

Chicago Cubs (third stint)

On February 12, 2025, Machado signed a minor league contract with the

.Minor League Baseball
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Machado, Dixon 1992 births Living people Connecticut Tigers players Detroit Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Florida Complex League Astros players Gulf Coast Tigers players Iowa Cubs players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Leones del Caracas players Lotte Giants players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Mesa Solar Sox players Sportspeople from San Cristóbal, Táchira Sacramento River Cats players Salt River Rafters players San Francisco Giants players Sugar Land Space Cowboys players Toledo Mud Hens players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan Summer League Tigers players West Michigan Whitecaps players