Domingo Junior Leyba Santana (born September 11, 1995) 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 ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

for the

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Lea ...

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

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 ...

and

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 ...

Career

Detroit Tigers

Leyba was signed by 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 ...

as an international free agent in July 2012. He made his professional debut in 2013 with the

Dominican Summer League Tigers The Dominican Summer Tigers are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the San Pedro de Macoris division and is affiliated with the Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball ...

and spent the whole season there where he led the league with a .348

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 57 games. He spent 2014 with the

Connecticut Tigers The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play ...

and

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpar ...

, hitting .323 with two home runs and 24 RBIs in 67 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 5, 2014, the Tigers traded Leyba and

Robbie Ray Robert Glenn Ray (born October 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays and ...

to the

as part of a three-team trade, with the Diamondbacks sending

Didi Gregorius Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius (born February 18, 1990) is a Curaçao, Curaçaoan-Netherlands, Dutch professional baseball shortstop for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Basebal ...

to 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 ...

and the Yankees sending

Shane Greene Shane Greene (born November 17, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chi ...

to the Tigers. He spent 2015 with 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 .237 with two home runs and 43 RBIs in 124 games and 2016 with Visalia and the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

where he slashed .296/.355/.429 with ten home runs and 60 RBIs in 130 games. The Diamondbacks added him to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season. In 2017, he played in only 23 games due to injury. He spent all of 2018 with the

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 ...

, batting .269 with five home runs and 30 RBIs in 86 games. He began 2019 with the

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

. On June 22, 2019, he was called up to the major leagues for the first time. He made his debut that night, recording a pinch-hit single off of

Mark Melancon Mark David Melancon ( ; born March 28, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, San Fr ...

of the

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 ...

. Leyba played in 21 major league games in 2019, mainly as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. He collected a total of seven hits, including two doubles and a triple, batting.280. On March 6, 2020, Leyba was suspended for the first 80 games of the 2020 season for testing positive for

boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

. Due to Major League Baseball shortening the season to 60 games 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 ...

, Leyba was essentially ruled out for the entire year. On November 20, 2020, Leyba was outrighted off of the 40-man roster following the waiver claim of Rogelio Armenteros. On May 15, 2021, Leyba was selected to the 40-man roster. He was designated for assignment on June 2 after going hitless in 24 plate appearances across 13 games for Arizona.

Baltimore Orioles

On June 4, 2021, Leyba was claimed off waivers by the

. Leyba hit his first career home run on July 2 on the road against Griffin Canning of the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. On August 4, Leyba was designated for assignment by the Orioles. On August 8, Leyba cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

. On August 19, Leyba was released by the Orioles.

Texas Rangers

On September 3, 2021, Leyba signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers and was assigned to 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 ...

. Leyba played in 24 games for Round Rock, hitting .288 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI's. Leyba became a free agent following the season.

San Diego Padres

On December 14, 2021, Leyba signed with the

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

. Leyba spent the majority of the 2022 season (98 games) with the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, also playing in 10 games for the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

. Between the two affiliates, he posted a .255/.356/.399 slash with 11 home runs, 64 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 3, 2023, Leyba signed a minor league contract with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

organization. He split the season between the Double–A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

and Triple–A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, playing in 72 total games and hitting .293/.371/.443 with 8 home runs and 35 RBI. Leyba elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Olmecas de Tabasco

On February 21, 2024, Leyba signed with the

of the

. In 54 appearances for Tabasco, he batted .216/.297/.314 with two home runs and 17 RBI.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leyba, Domingo 1995 births Living people Altoona Curve players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Santo Domingo Connecticut Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Tigers players El Paso Chihuahuas players Estrellas Orientales players Glendale Desert Dogs players Hillsboro Hops players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Mobile BayBears players Olmecas de Tabasco players Reno Aces players Round Rock Express players San Antonio Missions players Tigres del Licey players Visalia Rawhide players West Michigan Whitecaps players