Roenis Elias, Pitcher, Chicago Cubs


Date of Birth: 8/1/1988
Birthplace: Guantanamo, Cuba

Roenis Elias, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, defected to the United States from Cuba in 2010. A year later, he signed a minor league contract with the Mariners. He pitched in the Mariners' minor league system from 2011 through 2013, finishing with a 22-19 record and a 3.61 ERA in 59 games.

Elias joined the Mariners for 29 games in 2014. He finished the season with a 10-12 record, 143 strikeouts to 64 walks, and a 3.85 ERA in 163.2 innings.

Elias pitched in 22 games with the Mariners in 2015. He finished the season with a 5-8 record, 97 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a 4.14 ERA in 115.1 innings.

Elias was traded to the Boston Red Sox on December 7, 2015. He spent most of the 2016 season in the minors, pitching just 7.2 innings in 3 games with Boston.

Elias spent most of the 2017 season in the minors, pitching just 0.1 innings in 1 game with the Red Sox.

The Red Sox traded Elias back to the Mariners on April 23, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 3 wins and 1 loss, 34 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a 2.65 ERA in 23 games. He also pitched in 14 games in the minors.

The Mariners traded Elias to the Washington Nationals on July 31, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with a right hamstring strain He finished the season with 4 wins and 2 losses, 47 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a 3.96 ERA in 50.0 innings in 44 games with the Mariners and 4 games with the Nationals. He didn't pitch in the postseason.

Elias spent the 2020 season on the IL. He became a free agent on October 13, 2020. He rejoined the Mariners on a minor league contract on January 8, 2021. He spent the 2021 season on the IL recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Elias became a free agent on October 17, 2022. He signed with the Cubs on December 20th.

Career pitching statistics for Elias through 2019 include:

  • 126 games played
  • 388.0 innings pitched
  • 22-24 win-loss record
  • 14 saves
  • 325 strikeouts to 148 walks
  • 3.97 ERA

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Roenis Elias
ESPN - Roenis Elias