Ricky Vanasco
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Ricky Vanasco (born October 13, 1998) 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
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 ...
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 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 ...
, with whom he made his MLB debut in 2024.


Career


Amateur career

Vanasco attended Williston High School in
Williston, Florida Williston is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Nature Coast. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 2,976, up from 2,768 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical ...
. In his senior season, he posted a 6–2 record with a 0.53 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 53 innings. Vanasco committed to
Stetson University Stetson University is a private university in DeLand, Florida, United States. Established in 1883 as DeLand Academy, it was later renamed John B. Stetson University in honor of John B. Stetson. The university's main campus in DeLand spans 175 ...
. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round, with the 464th overall selection, of the
2017 MLB draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...
. He signed with the Rangers for a $200,000
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
.


Texas Rangers

Vanasco made his professional debut in 2017 with the
AZL Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is composed m ...
of the
Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...
Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...
, going 0–1 with a 0.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 9 innings. His season was cut short when on August 31, he was struck in the head by a throw from his catcher
Sam Huff Robert Lee "Sam" Huff (October 4, 1934 – November 13, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He played college footba ...
. He suffered a concussion and missed the rest of the 2017 season. He returned to the AZL Rangers in 2018, going 3–3 with a 4.38 ERA and 25 strikeouts over innings. He was shut down for the rest of the 2018 season on July 24 after developing elbow inflammation that required rehabilitation. Vanasco split the 2019 season between the
Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Co ...
of the Low–A
Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...
and the
Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...
of the Single–A
South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...
, going a combined 3–1 with a 1.81 ERA and 75 strikeouts over innings. He was named a 2019 Northwest League All-Star. Vanasco did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
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 ...
. Vanasco 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, ...
in September 2020 after suffering an injury at the Rangers Alternate Training Site. Vanasco spent 2021 recovering from surgery, only returning to game action in the organizational fall instructional league. On November 19, 2021, Texas added Vanasco to their 40–man roster to protect him from 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 ...
. Vanasco split the 2022 season between Hickory and the
Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...
of the Double-A
Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
, going a combined 3–5 with a 4.68 ERA and 118 strikeouts over innings. He was optioned to Double-A Frisco to begin the 2023 season. On March 29, 2023, it was announced that Vanasco would miss 4–6 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a
torn meniscus A tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci. When doctors and patients refer to "torn cartilage" in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of ...
in his knee. On May 29, Vanasco 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 ...
.


Los Angeles Dodgers

On June 1, 2023, Vanasco was traded to 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 ...
in exchange for Luis Valdez. After one start for the rookie–level
Arizona Complex League Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The team is compos ...
, Vanasco surrendered two runs in an inning pitched for the Double–A
Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...
. On June 30, Vanasco was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Double–A Tulsa on July 5. He pitched in 20 games for Tulsa with a 1–4 record and 1.52 ERA and five games for the Triple-A
Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...
, where he did not allow a run in innings. He became a minor league free agent following the season on November 6. On November 16, 2023, Vanasco re–signed with the Dodgers on a one–year, $900,000 major league contract. He returned to Oklahoma City to begin the 2024 season but was called up to the majors for the first time on April 15. He pitched two scoreless innings that night in his debut against the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
and recorded his first major league strikeout of
Riley Adams Riley Keaton Adams (born June 26, 1996) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played college baseball for the San ...
. He pitched in one other major league game, on July 13 against 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 ...
, where he allowed three runs on three hits without recording an out. In 24 games in Oklahoma City, he was 0–2 with a 4.24 ERA. Vanasco was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on July 24.


Detroit Tigers

On July 29, 2024, the Dodgers traded Vanasco 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 ...
in exchange for cash considerations. Vanasco was added to the active roster on September 1, as part of the September roster expansion throughout MLB. He recorded his first career win five days later in his Tigers debut 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. ...
. He made two scoreless appearances for Detroit, striking out no batters in two innings pitched. Vanasco was designated for assignment by Detroit on November 19. On November 22, the Tigers non–tendered Vanasco, making him a free agent. On November 26, 2024, Vanasco re–signed with Detroit on a minor league contract. On July 8, 2025, Vanasco was released by the Tigers. He re-signed with the organization on a new minor league contract two days later, and was subsequently placed on the 60-day injured list.https://www.milb.com/transactions/2025-07-10


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanasco, Ricky 1998 births Living people Arizona Complex League Dodgers players Arizona League Rangers players Baseball players from Florida Detroit Tigers players Frisco RoughRiders players Hickory Crawdads players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City Baseball Club players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Spokane Indians players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Drillers players