José Luis Cisnero (born April 11, 1989) is a Dominican-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 ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

who is a free agent. 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

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 ...

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

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, ...

Career

Houston Astros

Cisnero signed with the

as an international free agent on December 6, 2007. On November 20, 2012, the Astros added Cisnero 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 made his major league debut on April 22, 2013. In parts of two seasons for the Astros, he made 33 relief appearances, posting a 4.66 ERA with 46 strikeouts in innings. On May 28, 2014, Cisnero underwent

Tommy John surgery 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, ...

, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. He was outrighted off the roster on November 3, 2014, and subsequently became a free agent.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 18, 2014, Cisnero signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization. He made 4 appearances for the Double–A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

in 2015, recording a 3.38 ERA with 6 strikeouts over innings pitched. Cisnero elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2015.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On December 21, 2015, Cisnero signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

organization. He was released on March 31, 2016, after failing to make the team in spring training. On May 3, 2016, Cisnero signed with the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

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 ...

. In 13 appearances for the Sultanes, he posted a 5.25 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 1 save over 12 innings pitched. Cisnero was released by Monterrey on May 30.

New Jersey Jackals

On July 12, 2016, he signed with the New Jersey Jackals of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional baseball league with teams in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Founded in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, the league was for ...

. He came out of the bullpen in 5 games and posted a 3.86 ERA before his release on July 25.

Detroit Tigers

On November 9, 2018, the

signed Cisnero to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He opened the 2019 season with the

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 June 22, 2019, his contract was selected by the Tigers. He made his Tigers debut the next day, marking his first major league appearance in over five years. He finished the season with a 4.33 ERA in 35 games, and struck out 40 batters in innings. With the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Cisnero appeared in 29 games, compiling a 3–3 record with a 3.03 ERA and 34 strikeouts in innings pitched. On January 15, 2021, the Tigers and Cisnero agreed on a one-year, $970,000 contract, avoiding arbitration. Cisnero pitched mostly in a setup role for the 2021 Tigers, making occasional appearances as a closer. On September 13, he suffered an elbow laceration after slipping on stairs at his residence, requiring eight stitches. The Tigers placed him on the 10-day injured list September 14, and he did not return for the remainder of the season. In 2021, Cisnero made 67 relief appearances, posting a 4–4 record, 4 saves, and a 3.65 ERA, with 62 strikeouts in innings. On March 23, 2022, the Tigers and Cisnero agreed on a one-year contract worth $1.9 million, avoiding arbitration. On April 6, the Tigers placed Cisnero on the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The Tigers activated Cisnero on July 21, and he made his 2022 debut that evening 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 ...

. Cisnero pitched in 28 games for the 2022 Tigers, all in middle relief, posting a 1.08 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 25 innings. On January 13, 2023, Cisnero agreed to a one-year, $2.2875 million contract with the Tigers, avoiding salary arbitration. On August 29, Cisnero has been placed on waivers. He ultimately went unclaimed and remained with the Tigers, finishing the season with a 3-4 record and an ERA of 5.31. On November 2, Cisnero elected free agency.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 3, 2024, Cisnero agreed to a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the

. He struggled to a 7.07 ERA across 14 games before he was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation on April 28. Cisnero was transferred to the 60–day injured list on May 29. He was activated from the injured list on August 17, and pitched innings for the Angels that day. The following day, Cisnero 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 Los Angeles. He was released on August 22.

Pitch selection

Cisnero throws both four-seam and sinking two-seam fastballs, each averaging 95 to 97 MPH (topping out at 100 MPH). His main offspeed pitch is a slider that averages 86 to 89 MPH. He also throws an occasional

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

averaging 89 to 90 MPH.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cisnero, Jose 1989 births Living people Cardenales de Lara players Corpus Christi Hooks players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Astros players Leones del Escogido players Los Angeles Angels players Gigantes del Cibao players Greeneville Astros players Houston Astros players Lancaster JetHawks players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mexican League baseball pitchers New Jersey Jackals players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players People from Bajos de Haina Baseball players from San Cristóbal Province Sultanes de Monterrey players Toledo Mud Hens players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela