Jorge Luis Mateo (born June 23, 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 ...

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 ...

for 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 ...

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 has previously played in MLB for 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. ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Career

New York Yankees

Mateo signed with 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 ...

as an international free agent in January 2012, receiving a $250,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He made his professional debut that season for the Dominican Summer League Yankees 2 and batted .255 with one home run and eight RBIs in 14 games. He played for the Dominican Summer League Yankees 1 in 2013, compiling a .287 batting average with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 64 games, and the

Gulf Coast Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

in 2014, slashing .276/.354/.397 in 15 games. In 2015, while playing for the

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 ...

and the

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

, Mateo posted a combined .278 batting average with two home runs, 11 triples, 40 RBIs, and 82 stolen bases in 117 total games between both clubs. He was named

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

Player of the Week for the week of July 17. Mateo was ranked by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' as the top Yankees minor league prospect ahead of Gary Sánchez and

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...

prior to the 2016 campaign. He also received a non-roster invitation to

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 ...

. He spent the season back with Tampa, where he was a Mid-Season All-Star and was named to appear in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. However, on July 6, 2016, Mateo was suspended for two weeks due to violating the team's code of conduct policy, and could not participate in the Futures Game. He reportedly expressed his displeasure to Yankees executives about not being promoted to Double-A Trenton. Mateo finished 2016 with a .254 batting average, eight home runs, 36 stolen bases, and 47 RBIs. He spent time at second base following the arrival of

Gleyber Torres Gleyber David Torres Castro (born December 13, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees. Torres made his MLB debut ...

. The Yankees added Mateo to their 40-man roster after the season. He began 2017 with Tampa and was promoted to the

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 ...

in late June. He was a Mid-Season All-Star and Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of July 2.

Oakland Athletics

On July 31, 2017, the Yankees traded Mateo, along with Dustin Fowler and James Kaprielian to 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 ...

, in exchange for Sonny Gray. Oakland assigned him to the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

, and he finished the season there. In 129 total games split between Tampa, Trenton, and Midland, he batted .267 in 532 at-bats with 12 home runs, 18 triples, 57 RBI, and 52 stolen bases. In January 2018, Mateo was named the 64th best prospect in baseball. In April, ''Baseball America'' named him as having the best speed of all minor league players, ahead of Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn. That season, playing for the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, he hit .230/.280/.353 in 470 at-bats with three home runs, 16 triples, 45 RBI, and 25 stolen bases while being caught 10 times. Mateo opened the 2019 season with the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

. Mateo was named to the 2019

. In 2019 he led the minor league in triples, with 14. Mateo was included in the Athletics' 60-man player pool prior to the start of the 2020 season.

San Diego Padres

On June 30, 2020, the Athletics traded Mateo to the

in exchange for Junior Perez. Following the trade, he was considered San Diego's 13th best prospect. He was activated and started his first career game as the left fielder on August 13. On August 27, in the second game of a doubleheaders against 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 ...

, Mateo recorded his first MLB hit on a ground rule double. He hit just .185/.269/.454 in 22 games in the big leagues that year. Mateo hit his first major league home run on April 29, 2021, against 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 ...

. After hitting .207/.250/.322 through 57 games, 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 ...

by the Padres on August 3.

Baltimore Orioles

On August 5, 2021, Mateo was claimed off of waivers by the

. In 2021, he batted .247/.293/.376 with four home runs, 14 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 89 games between the Padres and Orioles. He was shut down for the season in mid-September after experiencing right lumbar inflammation. In 2022, Mateo started the year on the Orioles'

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 at shortstop. He finished the season batting .221/.267/.379 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI, and 35 stolen bases in 494 at-bats. Mateo led the major leagues with the most stolen bases in the regular season of 2022, trailed by teammate Cedric Mullins by one. Mateo won the

Fielding Bible Award A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each baseball positions, fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on "statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that anelistswish to utilize." John D ...

as the best defensive shortstop in MLB for the 2022 season, making him the first Oriole to win the award at that position. Mateo achieved a 1.062 OPS through April of the 2023 season, but he lost playing time to

Gunnar Henderson Gunnar Randal Henderson (born June 29, 2001) is an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 and won the American League Rookie of the Yea ...

in 2023 after hitting just .105/.128/.132 through 11 games in May. He concluded the regular season with 32 stolen bases and .217 batting average and .617 OPS, having more success batting against left-handed pitching. Following injuries to both centerfielders Mullins and

Aaron Hicks Aaron Michael Hicks (born October 2, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles ...

, Mateo made his Orioles centerfield debut on August 5. He joined the team in the postseason

2023 ALDS The 2023 American League Division Series (ALDS) were the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) to determine the participating teams of the 2023 American League Championship Series (ALCS). These matchups were: *(1) 2023 B ...

against the Texas Rangers and went 4-for-4 in Game 2, becoming just the 6th player in MLB history to get four hits while batting ninth. After the season, Mateo agreed to a $2.7 million contract to avoid arbitration. Mateo began the 2024 campaign with Baltimore, and hit .229/.267/.401 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and 13 stolen bases across 68 games. In a July 23 game against 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 ...

, Mateo departed with an injury after colliding with

while trying to field a ground ball. After the injury was diagnosed as a left elbow

subluxation A subluxation is an incomplete or partial dislocation of a joint or organ. According to the World Health Organization, a subluxation is a "significant structural displacement" and is therefore visible on static imaging studies, such as X-rays. ...

, Mateo was transferred to the 60–day injured list on July 30. His season officially ended on August 28 when he underwent left

elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. In the offseason, Mateo agreed to a $3.55 million contract to avoid arbitration that added a club option for the 2026 season. He returned from injury in time to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster in 2025. On April 20, 2025, Mateo made his positional player pitching debut in the 8th inning of a game against the

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

, allowing a grand slam to Noelvi Marte to contribute to the Orioles' 24-2 loss. In 31 games to begin the year, he batted .180/.231/.279 with one home run, three RBI, and 14 stolen bases. On June 10, Mateo was placed on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation. On July 1, while still on the IL, it was announced that Mateo had suffered a hamstring strain and would miss 8-to-10 weeks as a result; he was transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 6.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mateo, Jorge 1995 births Living people American League stolen base champions Baltimore Orioles players Charleston RiverDogs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Yankees players Gulf Coast Yankees players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Midland RockHounds players San Diego Padres players Tampa Yankees players Toros del Este players Trenton Thunder players Nashville Sounds players Las Vegas Aviators players Baseball players from Santo Domingo