Erik Donald Swanson (born September 4, 1993) 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

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 ...

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). He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. Swanson is one of only two active MLB players born in

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, with the other being

Matt Strahm of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Amateur career

Swanson attended Mariemont High School in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He graduated in 2012. Swanson attended Wabash Valley College for one year and then Iowa Western Community College for a year, playing

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, ...

at both schools and winning the JUCO World Series in 2014 with Iowa Western.

Professional career

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers drafted Swanson in the eighth round, with the 246th overall selection, of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

. Swanson made his professional debut in 2014 with the Low-A Spokane Indians and he spent the whole season there, pitching to a 1–2 win–loss record with a 4.63

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) with 24 strikeouts in

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

out of the bullpen. He split the 2015 season between the rookie-level Arizona League Rangers, Single-A

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

, Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

, and 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 ...

, compiling a combined 1–0 record and 2.35 ERA with strikeouts over innings of work. Swanson returned to Hickory to begin the 2016 season.

New York Yankees

On August 1, 2016, Swanson was traded with Dillon Tate and Nick Green 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 ...

in exchange for Carlos Beltrán. He finished the year with the Single-A

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

. In 24 appearances (17 starts) between the two affiliates, Swanson was 6–5 with a 3.46 ERA with 93 strikeouts across innings pitched. Swanson spent 2017 with the High-A Tampa Yankees, where he logged a 7–3 record and 3.95 ERA with 84 strikeouts over 20 starts. He started the 2018 season with the Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

, and rehabbed with the Low-A Staten Island Yankees during the year, before later being promoted to 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 ...

in May. In 24 games (22 starts) with the three affiliates, Swanson went 8–2 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 139 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Seattle Mariners

On November 19, 2018, the Yankees traded Swanson, Justus Sheffield, and Dom Thompson-Williams to the

in exchange for James Paxton. The Mariners added him to their 40-man roster the next day. Swanson opened the 2019 season with the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, with whom he recorded an 0–1 record and 5.55 ERA with 28 strikeouts in innings. The Mariners promoted Swanson to the major leagues for the first time on April 9, 2019. He made his major league debut on April 11. Swanson made 27 appearances (eight starts) for Seattle during his rookie campaign, logging a 1-5 record and 5.74 ERA with 52 strikeouts and two saves over 58 innings of work. Swanson made nine appearances for the Mariners during the truncated 2020 season, but struggled to an 0-2 record and 12.91 ERA with nine strikeouts across innings pitched. He pitched in 33 contests for Seattle in 2021, compiling an 0-3 record and 3.31 ERA with 35 strikeouts and one save across innings of work. During the 2022 season, Swanson made 57 appearances for the Mariners, primarily in relief, and posted a 3-2 record and 1.68 ERA with 70 strikeouts across innings.

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 16, 2022, the Mariners traded Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko to the

in exchange for Teoscar Hernández. He made 69 appearances out of the bullpen for Toronto in 2023, registering a 4-2 record and 2.97 ERA with 75 strikeouts and four saves across innings pitched. Swanson pitched in 45 contests for the Blue Jays in 2024, compiling a 2-2 record and 5.03 ERA with 37 strikeouts over innings of work. Swanson began the 2025 campaign on the injured list due to

median nerve The median nerve is a nerve in humans and other animals in the upper limb. It is one of the five main nerves originating from the brachial plexus. The median nerve originates from the lateral and medial cords of the brachial plexus, and has cont ...

entrapment in his throwing arm. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 5, 2025. Swanson was activated for his season debut on June 1. In six appearances for Toronto, he struggled to a 1-0 record and 15.19 ERA with three strikeouts across innings pitched. Swanson 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 Blue Jays on June 17.

Personal life

Swanson was born in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

. His grandfather, Dwaine Hoberg, is a former mayor of

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moo ...

. Erik's father, Mark, played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the North Dakota State Bison. Erik lived in Fargo until he was five years old, when his family moved to Cincinnati. Swanson moved back to Fargo in 2015. Swanson and his wife, Madison, married in 2018 and reside in Fargo. They have one son and one daughter together. On February 25, 2024, his son, Toby, was struck by a car in

Dunedin, Florida Dunedin ( ) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from ''Dùn Èideann'', the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Dunedin is part of the Tampa Bay Area, Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater ...

, and airlifted to the

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

in critical condition. Less than a week later, Toby was released from the hospital, with Swanson stating "God is good".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swanson, Erik 1993 births Living people Arizona League Rangers players Baseball players from North Dakota Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charleston RiverDogs players Dunedin Blue Jays players Everett AquaSox players Florida Complex League Blue Jays players Frisco RoughRiders players Hickory Crawdads players Iowa Western Reivers baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Fargo, North Dakota Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Seattle Mariners players Spokane Indians players Staten Island Yankees players Tacoma Rainiers players Tampa Yankees players Toronto Blue Jays players Trenton Thunder players Wabash Valley Warriors baseball players