First baseman/outfielder Rangel Ravelo has signed with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to reporters Francys Romero and Yusseff Diaz (Twitter link). Ravelo had previously been on a minor league contract with the Dodgers, but the two sides worked out a deal for Orix to purchase Ravelo’s rights earlier this week.
As noted by Romero, there was some expectation that Ravelo would receive a promotion to the Dodgers’ big league roster, considering that Ravelo was crushing Triple-A pitching. The 29-year-old had a .407/.504/.758 slash line and eight homers over 113 plate appearances for the Oklahoma City affiliate, though the Dodgers didn’t turn to Ravelo even after multiple injuries created opening on the MLB roster.
Ravelo will now head to Japan for a new chapter in his 12-year professional career. A sixth-round pick for the White Sox in the 2010 draft, Ravelo was part of one of the more notable trades in recent Athletics history — Ravelo, Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, and Josh Phegley all went to Oakland in December 2014 while Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa were sent to Chicago. Ravelo didn’t reach the majors until 2019 as a member of the Cardinals, however, and Ravelo hit .189/.250/.351 over 84 PA with St. Louis in 2019-20. After being non-tendered by the Cards last winter, Ravelo signed on with Los Angeles.