Zachary Joseph Reks (born November 12, 1993) is an American former 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 ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He 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 ...

and Texas Rangers, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

. He currently serves as the hitting coach for the

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 ...

, Los Angeles' rookie-level affiliate.

Amateur career

Reks attended

Carl Sandburg High School Carl Sandburg High School, Sandburg, or CSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of La Grange Road and Southmoor Drive in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is par ...

Orland Park, Illinois Orland Park is a Village (United States)#Illinois, village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County, Illinois, Will County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Orland Park ...

. He played one year of

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, ...

at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

before transferring to the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

as a student. After not playing for two years he joined the

Kentucky Wildcats baseball The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team represents the University of Kentucky in NCAA Division I college baseball and competes in the of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The current head coach of the Wildcats is Nick Mingione. History The baseba ...

team as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album) or the title song, 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album) or the title song, 1992 *''Walk On'', by Kellie Coffey, 200 ...

in 2016. He played two seasons at Kentucky, before being drafted by the

in the 10th 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

Los Angeles Dodgers

Reks spent his first professional season with the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitch ...

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Hist ...

and

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

, batting .317 with two home runs over 47 games between the three teams. He played 2018 with Rancho Cucamonga and the

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 ...

, slashing .303/.374/.424 with five home runs and forty RBIs in 88 games. He started 2019 with Tulsa before being promoted to the

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 ...

. He played in 121 games total with a .291 average and 28 homers with 93 RBI. The Dodgers added Reks to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season and was promoted to the majors for the first time on June 21, 2021. He had been hitting .341 with five homers and 19 RBI for Oklahoma City at the time of his call-up. He made his MLB debut the same day, as the starting

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

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 had two at-bats in the game, a strikeout and a lineout to center. He was returned to the minors the following day. Reks had 10 at-bats in six games for the Dodgers and struck out seven times. In the minors, he hit .280 in 87 games for Oklahoma City, with 19 homers and 67 RBI.

Texas Rangers

On November 22, 2021, Reks and Billy McKinney were traded to the Texas Rangers for cash considerations. He recorded his first MLB hit on April 30, 2022 off Bryce Elder of the

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 ...

. Reks was designated for assignment on July 16, 2022. He was released on July 20.

Lotte Giants

On July 20, 2022, Reks signed with the

of the

. On November 18, 2022, Reks re-signed a one-year deal for the 2023 season worth $1.3 million. In 2023, Reks played in 55 games for Lotte, but struggled with a knee injury which hobbled his production; in 203 at–bats, he hit .246/.338/.345 with 4 home runs and 30 RBI. On July 11, Reks was released by the Giants following the signing of Niko Goodrum.

San Diego Padres

On February 1, 2024, Reks signed a minor league contract with the

. In 64 appearances for the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, he slashed .127/.278/.208 with three home runs, 19 RBI, and one stolen base. Reks elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Coaching career

On February 28, 2025, the

hired Reks to serve as the hitting coach for their rookie-level affiliate, the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reks, Zach 1993 births Living people Air Force Falcons baseball players American expatriate baseball players in South Korea American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Baseball players from Chicago Estrellas Orientales players Great Lakes Loons players Kentucky Wildcats baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers players Lotte Giants players Major League Baseball outfielders Ogden Raptors players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Round Rock Express players San Antonio Missions players Texas Rangers players Tulsa Drillers players