Joshua John Palacios (born July 30, 1995) 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 ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

in the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

organization. He has previously played in MLB 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 ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, and

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 ...

Amateur career

Palacios attended the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology in his hometown of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, and was selected as the 2013 New York City High School Player of the Year. He was selected by 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 ...

in the 31st round 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 ...

, but did not sign and instead attended San Jacinto Junior College. In his first season of college baseball, Palacios batted .376 with six doubles and 26

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs). In the offseason, Palacios signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term she ...

to transfer to

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

for the 2016 season. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

with San Jacinto, he hit .364 with 12 doubles, nine triples, 36 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases. At the end of the season, Palacios was named the 37th best junior college prospect in the country. In his lone season with Auburn, Palacios batted .385 with five

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, 23 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

The

selected Palacios in the fourth round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

, and he signed for a $438,100

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 was assigned to the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays and appeared in 13 games before being promoted to the Short Season-A

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

. After 28 games in Vancouver, Palacios was promoted to the Class-A

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Athletics (baseball), Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Fie ...

, where he finished his 2016 campaign. In 50 total games across three levels, Palacios batted .330 with 18 RBIs. He was assigned to Lansing for the entire 2017 season, and hit .280 with two home runs, 39 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 91 games. On November 20, 2020, the Blue Jays added Palacios 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 ...

. On April 9, 2021, Palacios was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that night as the starting right fielder against 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, ...

. Palacios was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo on May 3, 2021. He was designated for assignment on April 11, 2022.

Washington Nationals

On April 15, 2022, the

claimed Palacios from the Blue Jays off of waivers. On December 1, 2022, Palacios was sent outright off of the 40-man roster.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 7, 2022, at the Winter Meetings, the

selected Palacios from the Nationals 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 began the 2023 season with 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 ...

, but was quickly promoted to the 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 ...

. In 21 combined games, he hit .368/.433/.598 with 4 home runs, 22 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. On May 9, 2023, the Pirates selected Palacios' contract. On June 2, Palacios hit his first Major League home run at

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore (Pittsburgh), North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth location to serve as the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. Opened during the 2001 Major League Baseb ...

against the

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

. On July 30, he hit a walk-off two–run homer off of Andrew Vasquez 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 ...

. In doing so, he became the first player in Pirates history to hit a walk–off home run on his birthday. In 91 games for the Pirates, Palacios batted .239/.279/.413 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Palacios was optioned to Triple–A Indianapolis to begin the 2024 season. In 23 appearances for Pittsburgh, he batted .224/.333/.343 with two home runs, nine RBI, and one stolen base. Palacios 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 Pirates on March 23, 2025. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Indianapolis on March 29. However, Palacios rejected the assignment and elected free agency two days later.

Chicago White Sox

On April 3, 2025, Palacios signed a minor league contract with the

. In 5 games for the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, he went 3-for-13 (.231) with 1 RBI. On April 10, the White Sox selected Palacios' contract, adding him to their active roster. In 51 appearances for Chicago, he batted .203/.292/.305 with three home runs and nine RBI. On June 13, Palacios was designated for assignment by the White Sox.

International career

Palacios represented the

Netherlands national baseball team The Netherlands national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, representing the country in international men's baseball. They are the best-ranked team in the WBSC Europe, Europe, and WBSC World Rankings, ...

at the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

, along with his brother

Richie Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname. First name * Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame * Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Aust ...

. In nine at-bats over four games, Palacios hit .111/.200/.111 with one RBI and three strikeouts.

Personal life

His brother,

, was drafted by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

in the third round of the

2018 Major League Baseball draft The 2018 Major League Baseball draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In addition, compensation pi ...

. His uncle, Rey, 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 ...

for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

from 1988 to 1990. Palacios' father is Puerto Rican, and mother is from

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

, and thus he was eligible to play for the

and was selected to play for them in the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palacios, Josh 1995 births Living people Altoona Curve players American people of Curaçao descent American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Auburn Tigers baseball players Baseball players from Brooklyn Bradenton Marauders players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Dunedin Blue Jays players Dutch people of Curaçao descent Dutch people of Puerto Rican descent Florida Complex League Blue Jays players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Indianapolis Indians players Lansing Lugnuts players Major League Baseball outfielders New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Pittsburgh Pirates players Rochester Red Wings players San Jacinto Central Ravens baseball players Toronto Blue Jays players Vancouver Canadians players Washington Nationals players 2023 World Baseball Classic players