Justin Dunn
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Justin Warren Dunn (born September 22, 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 ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
in 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 ...
organization. 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
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 ...
and
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 ...
. Dunn played
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
at
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
and was selected by the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft.


Amateur career

Dunn was born in
Freeport, New York Freeport is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Village, village in the town of Hempstead, New York, Hempstead, in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), ...
to Ed, a grant administrator, and Donna, a health company recruiter. As an eighth grader, he was noticed playing at a showcase with the Boys Club of New York by the baseball coach of The Gunnery, a boarding school in
Washington, Connecticut Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the North Eastern region of the United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active ...
. At 13 years old, Dunn left his family on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
to attend The Gunnery. The
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
selected Dunn in the 37th round of the
2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...
. He did not sign and attended
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
to play
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
for the
Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...
. As an 18-year-old freshman in 2014, Dunn pitched innings. He went 1–1 with a 7.30
earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) and 12 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he appeared in 20 games with three starts. A month into the season he became the team's closer. He finished the year 4–4 with a 4.94 ERA, 46 strikeouts and five saves. After the 2015 season, he played
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
with the
Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...
. Dunn started his junior year as the closer, but was moved into the starting rotation during the season. He recorded a 2.06 ERA with a 4–2 record in his junior season.


Career


New York Mets

Dunn was drafted by the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
in the first round, with the 19th overall selection, 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 ...
. He signed with the Mets and was assigned to the
Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...
, where he spent all of 2016, posting a 1–1 record with a 1.50 ERA in 11 games (eight starts). He spent 2017 with the St. Lucie Mets where he went 5–6 with a 5.00 ERA in 20 games (16 starts). MLB.com ranked Dunn as New York's third best prospect going into the 2018 season. He began the season with St. Lucie and was promoted to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies during the year. In 24 starts between the two clubs, Dunn was 8–8 with a 3.59 ERA.


Seattle Mariners

On December 3, 2018, the Mets traded Dunn,
Jay Bruce Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and New Y ...
, Jarred Kelenic, Anthony Swarzak, and Gerson Bautista to 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 ...
for Edwin Díaz,
Robinson Canó Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League; he also captains the Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professio ...
, and $20 million. He spent 2019 with the
Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and play in the Texas League. Hi ...
, going 9–5 with a 3.55 ERA over 25 starts. He was named to the 2019
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- ...
. The Mariners selected Dunn's contract and promoted him to the major leagues on September 10, 2019. He made his major league debut on September 12 versus 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 two runs over of an inning. In 2020, he led the AL in stolen bases allowed, with 13. On August 19, 2021, Dunn was placed on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder strain, an injury that had kept him out since mid-June. Dunn was shut down for the season in mid-September due to the injury.


Cincinnati Reds

On March 14, 2022, the Mariners traded Dunn, Jake Fraley, Brandon Williamson, and a
player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
(
Connor Phillips Connor Allan Phillips (born May 4, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. Amateur career Phillips attended Magnolia West High School in Magnolia ...
) to 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 exchange for Eugenio Suárez and
Jesse Winker Jesse Winker (born August 17, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee B ...
. Dunn began his Reds tenure on the 60-day injured list, with a report noting that the same shoulder strain from 2021 would keep him shelved for months. He was activated on July 24, and optioned 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 ...
. On August 8, he was recalled to the major leagues to make his Reds debut as the starting pitcher against the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
. On March 4, 2023, it was announced that Dunn would be shut down for “a couple of months” so he could recover from inflammation in the right
subscapularis muscle The subscapularis is a large triangular muscle which fills the subscapular fossa and inserts into the lesser tubercle of the humerus and the front of the capsule of the shoulder-joint. Structure The subscapularis is covered by a dense fasci ...
of his
rotator cuff The rotator cuff (SITS muscles) is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles a ...
. On August 16, he began a rehab assignment with the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Reds. However, on August 29, Dunn was pulled off of the assignment after suffering a setback in his recovery. On September 1, it was announced that Dunn would undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his right shoulder. On October 9, Dunn was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Louisville. He elected free agency on October 11.


Chicago White Sox

On October 14, 2024, it was announced that Dunn would be holding a showcase for teams interested in his services. On November 8, Dunn signed a minor league contract with 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 made 10 appearances (7 starts) 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 ...
, but struggled to a 2-3 record and 7.64 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 33 innings of work. Dunn was released by the White Sox organization on May 28, 2025.


Kansas City Royals

On June 5, 2025, Dunn signed a minor league contract with 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 ...
.


Personal life

Dunn is the older brother of
Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
forward
Ryan Dunn Ryan Matthew Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011) was an American stunt performer, television personality, and actor. He was one of the stars of the MTV reality stunt show '' Jackass'' and its film franchise. Born in Medina, Ohio, Dunn rose ...
.


References


External links


Boston College Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Justin 1995 births Living people African-American baseball players Arizona Complex League Reds players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Nassau County, New York Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Boston College Eagles baseball players Brooklyn Cyclones players 21st-century American sportsmen Charlotte Knights players Cincinnati Reds players Cotuit Kettleers players Dayton Dragons players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Freeport, New York Seattle Mariners players Sportspeople from Hempstead, New York St. Lucie Mets players The Frederick Gunn School alumni 21st-century African-American sportsmen