Rene Rivera is a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who has played as a catcher for several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. He began his career in the minor leagues in 2001, playing for the Gulf Coast Mets and Kingsport Mets. In 2004, he made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners, but he only played in four games that season.
Over the next few years, Rivera bounced around several teams, including the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets. He primarily served as a backup catcher during this time, playing in a limited number of games each season.
In 2017, Rivera had a breakout season with the Mets, playing in a career-high 74 games and hitting .252 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs. He also showed off his defensive skills, throwing out 38% of attempted base stealers.
After his successful season with the Mets, Rivera signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2018 season. He played in 30 games for the Angels before being traded to the Atlanta Braves in May. He played in 14 games for the Braves before being released in June.
Rivera then signed with the Minnesota Twins, returning to the team that he had played for earlier in his career. He played in 60 games for the Twins in 2018, hitting .233 with four home runs and 11 RBIs.
In 2019, Rivera signed with the San Francisco Giants, where he played in 51 games and hit .200 with one home run and eight RBIs. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Texas Rangers for the 2020 season. However, he only played in four games for the Rangers before being released in August.
In 2021, Rivera signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and was invited to spring training. He played in 10 games during spring training, hitting .333 with one home run and three RBIs. However, he was ultimately released by the Indians and did not play in the MLB during the 2021 season.
Throughout his career, Rivera was known for his strong defensive skills as a catcher, particularly his ability to throw out base stealers. He also had occasional offensive outbursts, but primarily served as a backup catcher for most of his career.
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