The Toros del Este announced on September 18 that they have signed Colombian left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartin for the 2024-25 LIDOM regular season.
Desde Colombia 🇨🇴 llega el zurdo Reiver Sanmartin, ya con experiencia en Lidom estará vistiendo la franela taurina esta temporada. ¡Bienvenido a tu casa Reiver! pic.twitter.com/E2OXh3UaDI
— Toros Del Este (@TorosdelEste) September 18, 2024
The 28-year-old from Cartagena, Colombia, played in three regular seasons of Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds from 2021-23.
Sanmartin underwent under-went season-ending UCL surgery on July 7, 2023, and ended his season.
He elected free agency on November 17, 2023, and signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati on November 19, 2023.
Sanmartin was invited with a non-roster spot to spring training on January 3.
Sanmartin was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 21 and did not appear in a spring training game.
He was activated from the 60-day injured list on July 16 and was assigned to the Arizona Complex Level league. He started in two games, throwing two innings, allowing one hit, one strikeout, and one hit batter, and did not allow an earned run while facing seven batters.
Sanmartin was promoted to Low-A Dayton on July 23 and appeared in one game out of the bullpen, throwing one inning without allowing a hit and earned run, no walks, and no strikeouts before heading to Triple-A Louisville on July 25.
Sanmartin appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen for Triple-A Louisville, throwing 16 innings and posting a 0-2 record with an 8.44 ERA, allowing 15 earned runs, 23 hits, two home runs, five walks, two hit batters, 15 strikeouts.
Last season with the Reds, Sanmartin posted a 1-0 record with a 7.07 ERA, throwing 14 innings with 14 appearances out of the bullpen. He allowed 11 earned runs, 17 hits, two home runs, ten walks, and 13 strikeouts before he landed on the 60-day injured list on May 14, 2023.
Sanmartin played with the Colombian national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Pool C at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. The team faced off against the United States, Great Britain, Mexico, and Canada.
He played in two games out of the bullpen at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and posted a 4.50 ERA. He pitched two innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, one hit batter, one walk, and three strikeouts.
Colombia will have to qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to the Total Quality Balance run differential rule. They ended the 2023 tournament with a 1-3 record, tied with Great Britain.
Sanmartin played in four seasons in the winter leagues with the Caimanes de Barranquilla in 2022-23 and the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Republic in 2021-22.
He also played at the 2021 Caribbean Series with the Caimanes de Barranquilla at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mazatlán, Mexico, alongside his first winter league season in 2018-19 with the Indios de Mayaguez in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico.
According to Baseball Reference, in his four winter league seasons, Sanmartin has a 0-3 lifetime record with a 2.57 ERA in 11 starts and 14 appearances. He has pitched 49 innings and allowed 32 hits, 14 earned runs, 17 walks, 33 strikeouts, and a 1.000 WHIP.
During his ten seasons in the minors, Cincinnati, and the winter leagues, Sanmartin has a 42-36 record with a 3.77 ERA in 196 appearances and 96 starts. He has pitched 596.2 innings and allowed 604 hits, 250 earned runs, 38 home runs, 154 walks, 549 strikeouts, and a 1.270 WHIP.
The Toros del Este will host the Estrellas Orientales at 7:30 p.m. EDT on October 16 at Estadio Francisco A. Micheli in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
All 2024-25 LIDOM regular season games will be streamed live on MLB.TV with a paid subscription until January’s final out of the best-of-seven championship series.
Photo Credit: Reiver Sanmartin #52 of Team Colombia poses during the 2023 WBC Workout Day Phoenix at Chase Field on Friday, March 10, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
