Raynel Joseph Espinal (born October 6, 1991) 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, ...

for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. 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

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 ...

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 ...

. He has also played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...

. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed.

Professional career

New York Yankees

Espinal began his professional career with 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 ...

organization, first playing for the Dominican Summer League Yankees in 2013 and 2014. After not playing professionally during 2015, he played for four different Yankees

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

s during 2016, advancing to the

Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (crea ...

level with the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

. In 2017, he played for three different teams and reached Double-A with the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

. Espinal then spent all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Triple-A with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

. With the RailRiders, he appeared in 59 total games (15 starts) allowing 64 runs in 142

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

for a 4.06

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). In July 2019, Espinal underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox selected Espinal from the Yankees in the minor league phase of the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

after the 2019 season. He did not pitch during 2020, due to cancellation of the minor-league season, then began the 2021 season in Triple-A with the

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. Th ...

. The Red Sox promoted Espinal to the major leagues on August 30, 2021, to add

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

depth due to players being placed on the COVID-related list. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching in relief against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. He was returned to Worcester the next day and removed from 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 ...

. Worcester named Espinal their pitcher of the year, having gone 11–4 with a 3.55 ERA in Triple-A. Espinal became a

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 ...

following the 2021 season.

San Francisco Giants

On February 5, 2022, Espinal signed a minor-league contract with 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 ...

. He began the season in Triple-A with the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

Chicago Cubs

On July 31, 2022, the Giants traded Espinal to 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 ...

for

Dixon Machado Dixon Javier Machado Moreno (born February 22, 1992) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants, and ...

. In two appearances, he surrendered 6 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts in innings pitched. Espinal was released by the Cubs organization on August 16.

Cincinnati Reds

On August 18, 2022, Espinal signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He had his contract selected to the major league roster on September 11. In 2 appearances for the Reds, Espinal allowed 4 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts in innings of work. On October 15, Espinal was removed from the

and sent outright 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 ...

. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

On December 5, 2022, Espinal signed with the

. Espinal made only 3 appearances for the team in 2023, logging a 5.40 ERA with 4 strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work. On August 28, 2023, Espinal was released by the Swallows.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On February 20, 2024, Espinal signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

. However, prior to the season on April 11, Espinal's contract was purchased by the Rieleros de Aguascalientes 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 ...

. In 6 games (4 starts), he struggled to an 0–4 record and 11.91 ERA with 7 strikeouts across innings pitched. On June 19, Espinal was released by Aguascalientes.

Gastonia Ghost Peppers

On April 21, 2025, Espinal signed with the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the

International career

Espinal pitched for the

Dominican Republic national baseball team The Dominican Republic national baseball team ( Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de República Dominicana'') is the national baseball team of the Dominican Republic. The team has won the Baseball World Cup in 1948 and World Baseball Classic in 2 ...

during

qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. He has played several seasons of winter baseball with Gigantes del Cibao 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 ...

(LIDOM).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinal, Raynel Living people 1991 births Sportspeople from Santiago Province (Dominican Republic) Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Dominican Summer League Yankees players Gastonia Ghost Peppers players Gulf Coast Yankees players Pulaski Yankees players Staten Island Yankees players Charleston RiverDogs players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Gigantes del Cibao players Sacramento River Cats players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Worcester Red Sox players category:Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players