Junior Guerra


Junior José Guerra Maurera is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2001.

Career

Early years

In 2001, the Atlanta Braves drafted Guerra as a catcher. After being converted to a pitcher in 2006, he was released by the Braves and signed with the New York Mets in 2008, where he gained traction but failed a PED test in 2009. In the half-decade plus from 2009 to 2014, Guerra played in international and independent leagues before the Chicago White Sox offered him a minor league contract in early 2015.

Chicago White Sox

Guerra was called up to the majors for the first time on June 7, 2015. He made his major league debut a few days later on June 12, and pitched in a total of three games with the White Sox.

Milwaukee Brewers

On October 7, 2015, Guerra was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers as the first roster move of general manager David Stearns. The Brewers chose to make him a starting pitcher rather than a reliever. A shoulder injury kept Guerra out of play in August 2016 and forced him to skip winter league baseball in the 16-17 offseason. Despite that, Guerra earned his spot in the rotation with a consistent 2016 season in the majors.
On April 3, 2017, Guerra was the starting pitcher for the Brewers on opening day. He left after three innings with a strained right calf.
Guerra was non-tendered on December 2, 2019, and became a free agent.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 9, 2019, Guerra signed a one-year contract, with a club option, with the Arizona Diamondbacks. On July 5, 2020, it was announced that Guerra had tested positive for COVID-19.

International career

On October 29, 2018, he was selected MLB All-Stars at 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series