Jose Israel Barrero (born April 5, 1998), formerly known as Jose Garcia, is a Cuban 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 ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...

for 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 ...

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

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 ...

Career

Cuban league

Barrero played for the

Cuban national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team () represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is generally made up of players from the domestic Cuban national baseball system, though it has at times included professional players who defect ...

in the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup and in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, or SNB) is a domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the National Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. For most ...

for the

Industriales Industriales is a professional baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Located in Cerro, La Habana, it is known as the only team representing the country’s capital, Havana. Industriales is historically the most successful team in the Nat ...

Cincinnati Reds

Barrero signed with the

as an international free agent on June 10, 2017. He made his professional debut in 2018 with the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

, playing in 125 games and hitting .245 with six home runs and 53 RBI. Barrero played 2019 with the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Minor League Baseball#Single-A, Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie R ...

, appearing in 104 contests and batting .280/.343/.436 with eight home runs, 55 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. After the season, he played in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

. The Reds invited Barrero to Spring Training in 2020, but he was not immediately assigned to an affiliate after the minor league season was cancelled as a result 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 ...

. Barrero made his MLB debut on August 27, 2020, against the

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

. He hit .194/.206/.194 with no home runs and two RBI in 24 games for Cincinnati in his rookie campaign. Barrero began the 2021 season with the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

, progressing to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

later in the year. He appeared in 21 contests for the big–league club, hitting .200/.286/.320 with no home runs and three RBI. On March 20, 2022, it was announced that Barrero would miss at least six weeks with a hamate injury in his left hand/wrist. He made his season debut on August 3. On August 6, Barrero hit his first major league home run off of

starter

Aaron Ashby Aaron Phillip Ashby (born May 24, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Brewers chose Ashby in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut in 2021. C ...

. The two-run shot was part of a two-homer, three RBI game (the second homer coming off of

Hoby Milner Hoby Trey Milner (born January 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, and M ...

). In 48 games for the Reds, he slashed .152/.195/.206 with two home runs and 10 RBI. In 2023, Barrero played in 46 games for the Reds, batting .218/.295/.323 with two home runs and 17 RBI. Prior to the 2024 season, it was announced that Barrero would begin working primarily as an outfielder.

Texas Rangers

On March 9, 2024, Barrero was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers. On March 27, he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright 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 ...

. In 49 games for Round Rock, he slashed .188/.277/.346 with six home runs, 25 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. Barrero elected free agency on November 1.

St. Louis Cardinals

On November 16, 2024, Barrero signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2025 season with the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

, hitting .299 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and five stolen bases across 23 appearances. On April 28, 2025, the Cardinals selected Barrero's contract, adding him to their active roster.

Personal life

On May 29, 2021, he changed his name from Jose Garcia to Jose Barrero in honor of his mother, who died due to a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

related illness.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrero, Jose 1998 births Living people Baseball players from Havana Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Dayton Dragons players Daytona Tortugas players Estrellas Orientales players Glendale Desert Dogs players Indios de Mayagüez players Industriales de La Habana players Leones del Escogido players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball players from Cuba Major League Baseball shortstops Memphis Redbirds players Round Rock Express players St. Louis Cardinals players 21st-century Cuban sportsmen American baseball players of Cuban descent