José De León

[William Malone]

José Eugenio De León Domenech was born on August 7, 1992 in Puerto Rico.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in round 24 of the 2013 MLB Draft. He eventually blossomed into one of the best prospects in the sport. Baseball America ranked him as the league's 23rd best prospect on their 2016 preseason list, and MLB Pipeline ranked him 24th.

De León made his Major League debut for the Dodgers as a September call-up in 2016. They traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays for veteran second baseman Logan Forsythe in a one-for-one swap during the off-season. Several media reports indicated that Los Angeles had initially offered De León to the Minnesota Twins for Brian Dozier, but Minnesota asked for additional prospects on top of De León.

Injuries began to plague De León, who made just four appearances over parts of three seasons for the Rays. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash ahead of the 2020 campaign, making 14 appearances over parts of two seasons for them. De León spent 2022 in the Toronto Blue Jays system.

Minnesota finally got their hands on the former top prospect in 2023, inking him to a minor league deal. De León posted a 3.62 ERA with one save in nine appearances for the St. Paul Saints, earning a big league call-up on May 16th. He made one start and 11 relief appearances for the Twins, going 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA. It was announced he needed a third career Tommy John surgery on June 26th.

De León remained unsigned while rehabbing during the 2024 season. As of September 2025, he is in the Boston Red Sox minor league system.

 

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