Richard Agustín Rodríguez (born March 4, 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 ...

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

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

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 ...

. 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

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 ...

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

, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Career

Houston Astros

On May 26, 2010, Rodríguez began his professional career by signing with 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 ...

organization, and was assigned to the DSL Astros. He spent 2011 in the DSL and with the GCL Astros. He spent 2012 with the

Greeneville Astros The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie League, Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of Greeneville, Tennessee, though Pioneer Park (stadium), Pioneer Park, their h ...

, GCL Astros, and

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

. In 2013, he played for Greeneville, the

Quad Cities River Bandits The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, on ...

, and

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

. In 2014, he spent time with the Bandits,

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

. He began the 2015 season with the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

Baltimore Orioles

On June 25, 2015, Rodríguez was acquired by the Orioles from the

for a player to be named later or cash. He spent the rest of the 2015 season with the

Bowie Baysox The Chesapeake Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. From 1993 to 2024, th ...

and the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

. Rodriguez spent the entire 2016 season with Norfolk and was invited to Spring Training for the 2017 season. He did not make the club and was reassigned to the Tides. Rodríguez was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2017. Rodríguez 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 the Orioles on September 17 following the promotion of Tanner Scott and outrighted the same day. In 5 relief appearances, he has posted a 14.29 ERA. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 8, 2017, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2018 season with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

of the Triple–A

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

, and was promoted to the major leagues on April 13. In his first season as a Pirate, he went 4–3 with a 2.47 ERA in 63 games. He struck out 88 batters in innings. In 2019, he went 4–5 with a 3.72 ERA, striking out 63 batters in innings. He made 72 appearances, the most on the team among pitchers. In 2020 for Pittsburgh, Rodríguez pitched to a 3-2 record with a 2.70 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 4 saves in innings of work.

Atlanta Braves

On July 30, 2021, Rodriguez was traded to the

in exchange for Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito. Between the two teams, he was 5-4 with 14 saves and a 2.94 ERA, as in 64 relief appearances he pitched innings with an 0.933 WHIP. The Braves finished with an 88-73 record, clinching the NL East, and eventually won the

2021 World Series The 2021 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2021 Major League Baseball season, 2021 season. The 117th World Series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) c ...

, giving the Braves their first title since 1995. On November 30, Rodríguez was non-tendered by the Braves, making him a free agent. On April 4, 2022, Rodríguez was suspended by MLB for 80 games after violation of their Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, testing positive for

Boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

New York Yankees

On June 21, 2022, Rodríguez signed a minor league deal 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 ...

. Rodríguez made 17 appearances for the Triple-A

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 ...

, pitching to a 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA with 21 strikeouts in innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Miami Marlins

On February 28, 2023, Rodríguez signed a minor league contract with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. In 39 relief outings for the Triple–A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

he logged a 4.38 ERA with 43 strikeouts. Rodríguez elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On February 7, 2024, Rodríguez signed with the

of the

. In 41 appearances for Monterrey, he logged a 3–3 record and 4.14 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 4 saves over innings pitched. In 2025, Rodriguez re-signed with Monterrey for a second season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Richard 1990 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Santiago de los Caballeros Bowie Baysox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Dominican Summer League Astros players Florida Complex League Yankees players Fresno Grizzlies players Greeneville Astros players Gulf Coast Astros players Indianapolis Indians players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Lancaster JetHawks players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Pittsburgh Pirates players Quad Cities River Bandits players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tri-City ValleyCats players