Oliver Ortega (born October 2, 1996) 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 ...

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

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 ...

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

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, ...

and

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels

Ortega signed with the

as an international free agent on February 10, 2015. He spent the 2015 season with the

DSL Angels The Dominican Summer Angels are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica North division and is affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. History The team came into existence in 1989, and has mostl ...

, going 1–3 with a 4.33 ERA over innings. He spent the 2016 season with the

AZL Angels The Arizona Complex League Angels are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tem ...

, going 2–3 with a 2.83 ERA over innings. Ortega did not appear in a game in 2017. He spent the 2018 season with the

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' ...

, going 4–5 with a 3.51 ERA over 82 innings. Ortega split the 2019 season between the

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 ...

and the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, going a combined 4–5 with a 3.34 ERA and 121 strikeouts over innings. Ortega was a 2019

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

All-Star. 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 ...

. Ortega received his first promotion to the major leagues when the Angels selected his contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on September 1, 2021. He made his major league debut on September 8, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

. On June 26, 2022, Ortega recorded his first major league save, pitching the final two innings of a 2–1 victory over 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 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 ...

on December 22, following the signing of

Brandon Drury Brandon Shane Drury (born August 21, 1992) is an American professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, New Yor ...

Minnesota Twins

On January 6, 2023, Ortega was claimed off waivers by the

. On January 10, Ortega was designated for assignment by Minnesota following the acquisition of A. J. Alexy. On January 17, Ortega cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

. In 16 games for the St. Paul, Ortega recorded a 2.42 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 2 saves in innings of work. On June 20, the Twins selected his contract to the major league roster. In 10 games for Minnesota, he logged a 4.30 ERA with 14 strikeouts in innings pitched. On August 24, Ortega was placed on the injured list with a left

lumbar In tetrapod anatomy, lumbar is an adjective that means of or pertaining to the abdominal segment of the torso, between the diaphragm (anatomy), diaphragm and the sacrum. Naming and location The lumbar region is sometimes referred to as the lowe ...

strain. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list on August 28, ending his season.

Houston Astros

On October 25, 2023, Ortega was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

. On March 21, 2024, it was announced that Ortega would miss three to four months after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. On June 26, Ortega underwent season–ending surgery to remove a

bone spur An exostosis, also known as a osteochondroma, is a benign chondrogenic lesions derived from aberrant cartilage from the perichondral ring. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to moderate, but rarely severe, depending on the shape, s ...

from the same elbow. On November 4, he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A

Sugar Land Space Cowboys The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metro ...

, but rejected the assignment and elected free agency.

New York Mets

On December 8, 2024, Ortega signed a minor league contract with the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega, Oliver 1996 births Living people Arizona League Angels players Burlington Bees players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Angels players Inland Empire 66ers players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Minnesota Twins players Mobile BayBears players People from Nagua Sportspeople from María Trinidad Sánchez Province Rocket City Trash Pandas players Salt Lake Bees players St. Lucie Mets players Tigres del Licey players