Travis Clay Lakins Sr. (born June 29, 1994) 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 Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 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

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

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 ...

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

Career

Lakins attended Franklin High School. Lakins played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

, and in 2014, he pitched a perfect game for the Chillicothe Paints, a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox selected Lakins in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, signing him for an above-slot bonus of $320,000. Lakins struck out three batters in two shutout innings during his only appearance with the Low–A

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major Leagu ...

in 2015. He then pitched for the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Red Sox, but only in the playoffs. In his brief stint, Lakins showed a quick arm from a three-quarters arm slot, offering a three-pitch mix with a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

- curveball- changeup combination, with his fastball sitting at and topping out at 96 with a bit of sink and run. The curveball flashed plus-potential at with two-plane, tight rotation and hard snap, while the changeup ranged and also showed plus potential with late dive away from left-handed hitters when down in the zone. He also used a heavy mix of curveballs and changeups both early and behind in counts, showing consistency with the secondaries pitches and refined command and control overall.2017 MLB Prospects Watch – 2017 Boston Red Sox Top 30 Prospects Watch
. ''MLB.com.'' Retrieved on September 8, 2017. In 2016, Lakins was promoted two levels up to the High–A

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, Virginia, Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Car ...

. In the month of April, he led the Salem pitching staff with a 3–1 record and a 2.13

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in four starts, striking out 26 and walking 10 in innings of work. In early August, Lakins was placed on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation and did not pitch for the rest of the season. He went 6–3 in 19 starts and a relief appearance, featuring a 5.93 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 36 walks in 91 innings. Lakins spent 2017 with both Salem and the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

, posting a combined 5–4 record with a 4.21 ERA in innings between both teams. He finished the year rated as the Red Sox' No. 13 prospect, according to MLB.com. Lakins started the 2018 season with Double-A Portland. At the end of July, he was promoted to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

. Overall for the 2018 season, Lakins made 36 appearances, compiling a record of 3–2 with an ERA of 2.32 and three saves. On November 20, 2018, the Red Sox added Lakins 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 ...

. Lakins opened the 2019 season with Pawtucket, and on April 23, he was added to Boston's major league active roster for the first time. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching innings 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 ...

while allowing one run and striking out two. Lakins was optioned to Pawtucket on April 26. He was recalled on May 23 and optioned back on May 29, then recalled on June 12 and optioned back on June 17. Boston next recalled Lakins on August 12, and optioned him back to Pawtucket on August 20. Lakins was recalled to Boston on September 1, when rosters expanded. Overall with the 2019 Red Sox, Lakins appeared in 16 games (three starts), compiling an 0–1 record with 3.86 ERA and 18 strikeouts in innings. Lakins was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 17, 2020.

Baltimore Orioles

Lakins was traded on January 21, 2020, 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 future considerations. He was claimed off waivers by the

on January 31. He was informed of the transaction while on a late-honeymoon cruise with his wife. In 22 appearances for the Orioles in 2020, Lakins pitched to a 2.81 ERA and 25 strikeouts over innings. On June 29, 2021, Lakins made his first start of the season, but left in the second inning with an apparent injury. On July 3, he was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow pain, although manager

Brandon Hyde Brandon Michael Hyde (born October 3, 1973) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager who most recently managed the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hyde had previously served as the bench coach, director o ...

described the injury as a “significant elbow injury”. On July 6, Lakins underwent season-ending surgery to fix a recurrent

olecranon The olecranon (, ), is a large, thick, curved bony process on the proximal, posterior end of the ulna. It forms the protruding part of the elbow and is opposite to the cubital fossa or elbow pit (trochlear notch). The olecranon serves as a lever ...

stress fracture in his right elbow. In 24 appearances with the 2021 Orioles prior to his injury, Lakins recorded a 1–4 record and 5.79 ERA. On October 14, Lakins was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. On April 15, 2022, Lakins' contract was selected by the Orioles. He made 6 appearances for Baltimore, struggling to a 9.58 ERA with 8 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 10, Lakins was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. On August 31, he was activated from the IL and sent outright to the Triple-A

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 ...

. In 5 games (2 starts) with the Tides, he posted an 8.68 ERA with 7 strikeouts in innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on October 6.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On April 17, 2023, Lakins signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Stormers (formerly known as the Lancaster Barnstormers) is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner l ...

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 ...

. In three games for the Barnstormers, he recorded a 3.00 ERA with 4 strikeouts in 3 innings of work. With Lancaster, Lakins won the Atlantic League championship. Lakins retired from professional baseball following the 2023 season to pursue a career in business.

Chicago White Sox

On June 25, 2024, Lakins came out of retirement and signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. In 24 appearances for the rookie-level Arizona Complex League White Sox and Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, accumulating a 1-2 record and 5.72 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 2 saves across innings pitched. Lakins elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Algodoneros de Union Laguna

On January 6, 2025, Lakins signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the

Personal life

Lakins has been married since 2017; he and his wife have a daughter and two sons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakins, Travis 1994 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Ohio Boston Red Sox players Charlotte Knights players Florida Complex League Orioles players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Franklin, Ohio Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Baseball players from Warren County, Ohio