Leo Rivas
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Leonardo Andres Rivas (born October 10, 1997) is a Venezuelan 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 ...
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
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 ...
of
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 made his MLB debut in 2024.


Career


Los Angeles Angels

Rivas signed with 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, ...
as an international
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
on July 11, 2014, receiving a $40,000 signing bonus. He made his professional debut in 2015 with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Angels, hitting .258 in 65 games. Rivas returned to the DSL to start 2016, then advanced to the rookie-level Arizona League (AZL) Angels on July 20, accumulating a .290/.413/.379
slash line This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...
with one home run, 19 RBI, and 26 stolen bases across 59 games for both teams. Rivas split the 2017 season between the rookie-level
Orem Owlz The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home o ...
and Single-A
Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...
. He was named a Pioneer League All-Star for Orem. In 61 games between the two affiliates, he hit .286/.443/.397 with two home runs, 36 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. Rivas spent 2018 with Burlington, also playing in two games for the AZL Angels in July. In a career-high 119 games for Burlington, he batted .234/.335/.326 with four home runs, 34 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. His 140 strikeouts also were a career high. Rivas spent the 2019 season primarily 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 ...
Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchi ...
, while also playing 7 games for the AZL Angels, slashing .227/.332/.361 with six home runs and 26 RBI across 80 games. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor 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 ...
.


Cincinnati Reds

On December 10, 2020, Rivas was traded 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 ...
as the
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 ...
in a trade that sent reliever
Raisel Iglesias Raisel Enrique Iglesias (born January 4, 1990) is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels. He signed with the Reds a ...
to the Angels and Noé Ramirez to Cincinnati. Rivas spent 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 ...
, playing in 60 games and batting .274/.382/.337 with 21 RBI and nine stolen bases. Rivas returned to Chattanooga for most of the 2022 season before moving up 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 ...
in mid-August. In 95 games between the two affiliates, he hit .228/.318/.344 with a career-best seven home runs as well as 35 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Rivas elected free agency following the season on November 10.


Seattle Mariners

On January 30, 2023, Rivas 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 ...
. He spent the year with the Double-A
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 ...
, batting .255/.411/.347 with five home runs and career highs of 47 RBI and 50 stolen bases in 106 games. Rivas began 2024 with the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...
. On April 25, Rivas was selected to the
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 ...
and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He replaced injured shortstop J.P. Crawford on the roster. He made his MLB debut on April 28 against 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 ...
and recorded his first career hit, a triple. He was optioned back to Tacoma on May 20, when Crawford came off the
injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
. Rivas shuttled between the majors and minors, returning to the Mariners' roster from June 10 to 13 as Dylan Moore took
paternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...
, then again from July 23 through the end of the season. On August 23, Rivas notched his first career
walk-off hit Walk-off may refer to: * Walk-off home run, in baseball * Walk-off touchdown, in gridiron football * Walkout, a political or economic protest ** Cummeragunja walk-off, by Aboriginal people in New South Wales, 1939 ** Wave Hill walk-off, by Guri ...
, singling in the 10th inning to beat the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. Rivas pitched one inning during two Mariners blowout losses, to the
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 ...
on August 13 and the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
September 17, allowing one run and two hits across his two pitching appearances. He finished his first season batting .233/.333/.274, with three stolen bases in three attempts. Rivas was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the 2025 season. He was recalled on April 1. He showed excellent patience early, with a .500
on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...
through May 4. On May 31, he was optioned back to Tacoma as the team promoted prospect
Cole Young Cole Douglas Young (born July 29, 2003) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025. Amateur career Young was raised in Wexford, Pennsy ...
.


References


External links


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivas, Leo 1997 births Living people Arizona League Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Maracay Burlington Bees players Chattanooga Lookouts players Dominican Summer League Angels players Inland Empire 66ers players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Orem Owlz players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players