Riley Chun-Young O'Brien (born February 6, 1995) 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, ...

for the

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

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 has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

and

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 made his MLB debut in 2021.

Amateur career

O'Brien attended Shorewood High School in

Shoreline, Washington Shoreline is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is located between the city limits of Seattle and the Snohomish County border, approximately north of Downtown Seattle. As of the 2020 census, the population of Shoreline was ...

, where he played

. He graduated in 2013, and then enrolled at

Everett Community College Everett Community College (EvCC) is a public community college in Everett, Washington. EvCC educates more than 19,000 students every year at locations throughout Snohomish County, Washington, with most students and faculty at the main campus in ...

. After two seasons at Everett, he transferred to the

College of Idaho The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891 by Rev. William Judson Boone as a Presbyterian college, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over ...

. As a junior in 2016, he went 6–3 with a 3.23 ERA and sixty strikeouts over 69 innings. In 2017, his senior year, he pitched to a 3–4 record and a 2.15 ERA over 67 innings. After the season, he was selected by 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 ...

in the eighth round of the

2017 Major League Baseball 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 ...

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

O'Brien signed with the Rays and made his professional debut that year with the

Princeton Rays The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Ta ...

of the Advanced Rookie

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

, going 1–0 with a 2.20 ERA over 11 games (ten starts). During the season, he was named Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week twice. In 2018, he began the season with the

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which ...

of the Single–A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

(with whom he was named an All-Star) before being promoted to the

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, with whom he ended the year; over 25 games (13 starts) between both teams, he went 8–4 with a 2.75 ERA. In 2019, he began the season with Charlotte and was promoted to the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

of the Double–A Southern League in May. Over 20 games (17 starts) with the two clubs, he pitched to a 7–6 record and 3.16 ERA. O'Brien 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 August 28, 2020, the Rays traded O'Brien to the

in exchange for Cody Reed. On November 20, 2020, the Reds added O'Brien to their

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 ...

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 ...

. To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the

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 ...

of the

Triple-A East 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 level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (M ...

. Over 23 games (22 starts), O'Brien pitched to a 7–7 record, a 4.55 ERA, and 121 strikeouts over innings. On September 28, 2021, the Reds recalled O'Brien to the active roster to make his MLB debut versus the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He was the starting pitcher and threw innings, giving up two solo home runs while walking three and striking out two. On April 13, 2022, the Reds designated O'Brien for assignment to make room for

Nick Lodolo Nicholas Frank Lodolo ( ; born February 5, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Amateur career Lodolo attended Damien High School in La Verne, C ...

Seattle Mariners

On April 16, 2022, the Reds traded O’Brien to the

for cash considerations or a player to be named later. (On June 3, minor league infielder Luis Chevalier was sent to Cincinnati to complete the trade). 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 May 27. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to 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 June 2. O'Brien spent the entirety of the 2023 season in Triple–A with Tacoma. In 51 appearances, he registered a 2.29 ERA with 86 strikeouts and 15 saves across 55.0 innings of work.

St. Louis Cardinals

On November 5, 2023, O'Brien was traded to the

and subsequently added to the 40–man roster. On March 26, 2024, the Cardinals officially revealed that O'Brien had made the Opening Day roster. On March 31, he was placed on the injured list with a flexor strain, and was transferred to the 60-day injured list on May 6. O'Brien was activated on August 11. In 8 total appearances for St. Louis, he struggled to an 11.25 with 11 strikeouts over 8 innings of work. O'Brien was optioned to the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

to begin the 2025 season.

Personal life

Riley is married to Chellyn O'Brien, they had their wedding in late 2023. O'Brien's grandfather,

Johnny O'Brien John Thomas O'Brien (December 11, 1930 – June 13, 2025) was an American second baseman and pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953, 1955–58), St. Louis Cardinals (1958) and Milwaukee Braves (1959). O'Bri ...

, played six seasons in the major leagues. His great uncle Eddie O'Brien also played in the majors.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Riley 1995 births Living people Baseball players from Seattle Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Cincinnati Reds players College of Idaho Coyotes baseball players Everett Trojans baseball players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Redbirds players Montgomery Biscuits players Princeton Rays players Seattle Mariners players St. Louis Cardinals players Tacoma Rainiers players