Biography
Luis Leandro Ortiz (born January 27, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Career
Pittsburgh Pirates
Ortiz was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic on October 2, 2018, for a $25,000 signing bonus. He made his professional debut 2019 for the rookie–level Bristol Pirates, logging a 4.09 ERA across 11 starts.
Ortiz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ortiz spent the 2021 season with the Single–A Bradenton Marauders, making 22 appearances (19 starts) and recording a 3.09 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 87+1⁄3 innings of work. By late 2021, his fastball had reached as high as 99 miles per hour (159 km/h).
On July 15 and August 9, 2022, while pitching for the Double–A Altoona Curve, Ortiz threw two immaculate innings in a span of just 25 days, four fewer than the shortest known span between such innings by a Major League pitcher. Ortiz made 26 total appearances (25 starts) split between Altoona and the Triple–A Indianapolis Indians in 2022. In a career–high 124+1⁄3 innings pitched, he accumulated a 5–9 record and 4.56 ERA with 138 strikeouts.
Ortiz was promoted to the majors for the first time on September 11, 2022. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told the press that the club intended to use the remainder of the season to assess the quality of starting pitching in their organization. Ortiz made 4 starts during his rookie campaign, posting an 0–2 record and 4.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 16 innings of work.
Ortiz was optioned to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians to begin the 2023 season. He was recalled to the Pirates on May 9. In 18 games (15 starts) for Pittsburgh, Ortiz compiled a 5–5 record and 4.78 ERA with 59 strikeouts across 86+2⁄3 innings pitched.
Ortiz made 37 appearances (15 starts) for the Pirates in 2024, accumulating a 7–6 record and 3.32 ERA with 107 strikeouts and 1 saves across 135+2⁄3 innings pitched.
Cleveland Guardians
On December 10, 2024, Ortiz, alongside Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle, was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Spencer Horwitz.