Manuel Rodríguez (pitcher)

Manuel De Jesus Rodríguez (born August 6, 1996) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs.

Leones de Yucatán
Rodríguez began his professional career in the Mexican League with the Leones de Yucatán, playing for them from 2014 through 2016. He was named the 2015 Mexican League Rookie of the Year, after posting a 4–0 record with a 1.84 ERA over 49 innings.

Chicago Cubs
Rodríguez's contract was purchased by the Chicago Cubs from Yucatán on July 21, 2016 for $400,000. He played for the Eugene Emeralds and the South Bend Cubs in 2017, going a combined 1–0 with a 3.94 ERA over $29 2/3$ innings. He spent the 2018 season with South Bend, going 3–5 with a 7.59 ERA and 64 strikeouts over $40 1/3$ innings. He spent the 2019 season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, going 1–3 with a 3.45 ERA and 52 hits, 36 walks, and 65 strikeouts over 45 innings.

Rodríguez was added to the Cubs 40-man roster after the 2019 season. He opened the 2021 season with the Tennessee Smokies and the Iowa Cubs. In June 2021, Rodríguez was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game.

On July 30, 2021, Chicago promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that night, throwing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in relief. In 2021 he was 3-3 with a 6.11 ERA with the major league team. In 20 games he pitched 17.2 innings, in which he gave up 18 runs, 12 earned.

Rodríguez was placed on the injured list on April 14, 2022, with a right elbow strain. He was later transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 1. He was activated off of the injured list on August 26, and added to the active roster; Kervin Castro was sent down to Triple–A to clear active roster space for Rodríguez.

On January 17, 2023, Rodríguez was designated for assignment by Chicago following the acquisition of Julian Merryweather. On January 23, Rodríguez cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Iowa. In 35 appearances for Iowa, he registered a 4.42 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 13 saves in $38 2⁄3$ innings pitched.

Tampa Bay Rays
On August 1, 2023, the Cubs traded Rodríguez, Adrian Sampson, and international free agent bonus pool space to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Josh Roberson. In 15 games for the Triple–A Durham Bulls, he posted a 3.06 ERA with 24 strikeouts across $17 2⁄3$ innings of work.

On November 6, 2023, the Rays added Rodríguez to their 40-man roster to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency. He was optioned to Triple–A Durham to begin the 2024 season.