Junior Osvaldo Lake (born March 27, 1990) 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 ...

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 ...

for the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

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 ...

, who also plays winter ball for the

Leones del Escogido Leones del Escogido (English: ''Chosen One Lions'' or ''Lions of Chosen One'' or ''Picked Lions'') is a professional baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Established in , Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Pr ...

of the

Dominican Professional Baseball League The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League ( or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Repub ...

. He signed as an international free agent with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

in 2007 and made his

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) debut with them in 2013. He has also played in MLB 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 ...

and

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 ...

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

On February 13, 2007, he was signed as an international free agent. He started playing for the DSL Cubs at the age of 17 batting .274 with 3 home runs. He then played for the

Arizona League Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of playe ...

batting .286 with 2 home runs. In 2009, he went to the

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

batting .248 with 7 home runs. Lake was added to the Cubs 40-man roster on November 18, 2011. Junior Lake of the Chicago Cubs 2014

Lake suffered a stress fracture in a rib in

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 ...

in 2013. He began the season in the minors. The Cubs promoted him to the major leagues on July 19 after Brian Bogusevic was injured and he was batting .295. Lake went 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in his debut. In his first seven games, Lake had 15 hits, tied for the third most by any major league player since 1900. He batted .484 with 2 home runs and 5 runs batted in over this stretch. With the return of

David DeJesus David Christopher DeJesus (; born December 20, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Ray ...

on July 24 and the departure of

Alfonso Soriano Alfonso Guilleard Soriano (born January 7, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball left fielder and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Chicago Cu ...

, Lake assumed the starting role of left field. On August 1, 2013, Lake had the first multi-homer game of his career when he hit two solo home runs in a 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field. On September 6, 2013, he hit the first grand slam of his career in the first inning off

Kyle Lohse Kyle Matthew Lohse (; born October 4, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, a ...

of 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 ...

. Lake finished the 2013 campaign batting .284 in 64 games with 6 homers, 16 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases. Lake started at left field on Opening Day in 2014. He hit his 7th and 8th home runs of the season in a game against the Miami Marlins on June 7, it was his second career multi-homerun game. After hitting just .216 with 9 home runs for the Cubs in 2014, Lake was optioned back to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

on August 16. Lake spent the majority of the 2015 season in Triple-A for the Cubs. He was called up and played in 21 games for the Cubs due to numerous injuries in the outfield.

Baltimore Orioles

On July 31, 2015, Lake was traded to the

in exchange for

Tommy Hunter Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman". Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, ''Country Hoedown''. ''Th ...

. Lake appeared in 8 games for the Orioles, batting .136. On December 10, Lake 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 Baltimore.

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 18, 2015, Lake was claimed off waivers by the

. Lake was added to their active roster on June 24, 2016. He was designated for assignment on July 25 after José Bautista returned from the disabled list. He cleared waivers, and was outrighted to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

on July 31. Lake was brought up to the Blue Jays on August 10 when Bautista was once again placed on the disabled list. On August 16, Lake was designated for assignment after the Blue Jays activated

Ezequiel Carrera Ezequiel Manuel Carrera Reyes (born June 11, 1987) is a Venezuelans, Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue ...

. Lake played in 22 games for the Blue Jays in 2016, hitting .200 with one home run and two RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Boston Red Sox

On December 9, 2016, Lake signed a minor league contract with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. In 19 games for the Triple–A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, he batted .246/.292/.312 with no home runs, one RBI, and two stolen bases. Lake was released by the Red Sox organization on May 1, 2017.

Bravos de León

On June 20, 2017, Lake signed with the

Bravos de León The Bravos de León (English: León Braves) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. History Cachorros de León (1979–80) Mexican League baseball in León began in 1979 when the Alijadore ...

of the

. In 41 games for León, he slashed .288/.411/.510 with six home runs, 34 RBI, and four stolen bases. On February 14, 2018, Lake signed a minor league contract 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 ...

organization. He was released prior to the start of the season on March 28. On April 7, 2018, Lake re-signed with the

of the

. In 5 games for the team, he went 2–for–14 (.143) with no home runs, 1 RBI, and 4 stolen bases.

Toros de Tijuana

On July 10, 2018, Lake was traded to the

of the

Mexican Baseball 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 ...

. He played in 46 games for Tijuana in his first campaign, hitting .274/.383/.451 with 7 home runs, 37 RBI, and 6 stolen bases. In 2019, Lake made 114 appearances for Tijuana, slashing .306/.410/.528 with 21 home runs, 85 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Lake did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because 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 ...

. Lake played in 64 games for the Toros in 2021, batting .293/.390/.485 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. The following season, he appeared in 88 contests for the team, slashing .318/.377/.559 with 22 home runs, 79 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. Lake returned in 2023, appearing in 5 games before being placed on the injured list on April 27.

El Águila de Veracruz

On May 12, 2023, Lake, along with P Samuel Zazueta and P Tyler Madrigal, were traded to

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: The Eagle of Veracruz) is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. Histor ...

of the

in exchange for P Luis Márquez. In 65 games for Veracruz, Lake hit .298/.414/.513 with 13 home runs, 43 RBI, and 8 stolen bases.

Toros de Tijuana (second stint)

On January 26, 2024, Lake signed with the

of the

. In 88 appearances for Tijuana, he batted .257/.353/.457 with 15 home runs, 40 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. In 2025, Lake re-signed with Tijuana for a second consecutive season.

International career

After the 2020 season, he played for the Dominican Republic in the 2021 Caribbean Series. After each of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Lake played for

Estrellas Orientales Estrellas Orientales (English: Eastern Stars), also known as Estrellas de Oriente, is a baseball team in the Dominican Winter League. Based in San Pedro de Macorís, the team has historically struggled, winning championships only in 1936, 1954, ...

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Junior 1990 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Arizona League Cubs players Baltimore Orioles players Bravos de León players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Cubs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Cubs players El Águila de Veracruz players Estrellas Orientales players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Mesa Solar Sox players Mexican League baseball center fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Norfolk Tides players Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís Peoria Chiefs players Tennessee Smokies players Toronto Blue Jays players Toros de Tijuana players Leones del Escogido players