José Valdez (baseball, born 1990)


José Alfredo Valdez is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.

Career

Detroit Tigers

Valdez played for the Dominican Summer League Tigers from 2009 to 2011. He played for the Gulf Coast Tigers in 2012. He played the 2013 season with the West Michigan Whitecaps and the Lakeland Flying Tigers and was the closer for both teams. He finished the season with 33 saves and a 2.74 earned run average. He was added to the Tigers 40-man roster on November 20, 2013.
Valdez was recalled by the Tigers on July 31, 2015, and made his major league debut later that night in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. In his debut, Valdez faced four batters, allowing three hits, two earned runs, and one walk, without recording an out in the inning, and taking the loss. Prior to being recalled, Valdez was 2–0 with one save, and a 2.03 ERA over his last 10 games with the Toledo Mud Hens. He was optioned back to Toledo on August 4 after his lone start to make room on the roster for Matt Boyd, who started the next day.
Valdez had a 4–4 record and a 3.44 ERA in 38 appearances with Toledo, having allowed 44 hits over 52 innings, with 33 walks and 40 strikeouts. Valdez was called up to the Tigers again on August 20, 2015, when starters Daniel Norris and Aníbal Sánchez were placed on the disabled list. He made a total of seven appearances with the big-league club in 2015.

Los Angeles Angels

On June 7, 2016, the Tigers traded Valdez to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations.

San Diego Padres

Valdez was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres on May 10, 2017.

San Francisco Giants

Valdez signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants in January 2018. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Diablos Rojos del México

On March 21, 2019, Valdez signed with the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He was released on May 1, 2019.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On May 10, 2019, Valdez signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League. He was released on December 31, 2019.