Chris Ellis (baseball)

Christopher John Ellis (born September 22, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles.

Chris Ellis
Ellis with the Memphis Redbirds in 2018
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1992-09-22) September 22, 1992 (age 30) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 31, 2019, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics (through 2022 season)
Win–loss record	1–0
Earned run average	3.12
Strikeouts	25
Teams
Kansas City Royals (2019) Tampa Bay Rays (2021) Baltimore Orioles (2021–2022)

Career

Amateur

Ellis was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 50th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft out of Spain Park High School in Hoover, Alabama.^[1] He did not sign with the Dodgers and attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) to play college baseball. In 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[2]

Los Angeles Angels

Ellis was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft.^[3][4] He signed and made his professional debut with the rookie-level Orem Owlz where he pitched to a 6.89 earned run average (ERA) in 15+2⁄3 innings pitched.^[5] Ellis started 2015 with the High-A Inland Empire 66ers, and after going 4–5 with a 3.88 ERA in 11 games, was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, where he finished the season, posting a 7–4 win–loss record and 3.92 ERA in 15 games.^[6][7]

Atlanta Braves

On November 12, 2015, the Angels traded Ellis, Sean Newcomb, Erick Aybar and cash to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Andrelton Simmons and José Briceño.^[8][9] Ellis was assigned to the Double-A Mississippi Braves to start the 2016 season, and promoted to the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves in June.^[10][11] Ellis ended 2016 with a combined 12–9 record and 4.49 ERA in 28 total games started between both clubs.^[12] After the 2016 season, the Braves assigned Ellis to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.

St. Louis Cardinals

On December 1, 2016, the Braves traded Ellis, John Gant, and Luke Dykstra to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Jaime García.^[13] Ellis spent 2017 with both the Double-A Springfield Cardinals and Triple- A Memphis Redbirds, posting a combined 7–12 record with a 5.29 ERA in 30 games (22 starts) between both teams.^[14] He returned to Springfield to begin the 2018 season and was promoted to Memphis during the season. In 31 games (21 starts) between the two clubs, Ellis compiled a 10–4 record with a 3.93 ERA.^[15]

Kansas City Royals

On December 13, 2018, the Texas Rangers selected Ellis in the 2018 Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Kansas City Royals.^[16] Ellis made the Royals' Opening Day roster.^[17] He made his major league debut on March 31, 2019, versus the Chicago White Sox, recording one scoreless inning of relief.^[18] On April 3, 2019, Ellis was designated for assignment.^[19]

St. Louis Cardinals (second stint)

On April 9, 2019, the Royals returned Ellis to the Cardinals organization.^[20] Ellis did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[21] On May 27, 2020, he was released by St. Louis.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 16, 2020, Ellis signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.^[22] On August 16, 2021, Ellis's contract was selected by the Rays.^[23] In his Rays debut, Ellis pitched 4 scoreless innings, while striking out 7 batters. The following day, August 18, Ellis was designated for assignment by the Rays.^[24]

Baltimore Orioles

On August 20, 2021, Ellis was claimed off of waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.^[25] Ellis posted a 2.49 ERA in six starts for Baltimore, striking out 16 in 25+1⁄3 innings of work. On November 5, Ellis was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and elected free agency.^[26]

On March 16, 2022, the Orioles re-signed Ellis on a minor league contract.^[27] The Orioles promoted him to the major leagues on April 19.^[28] On May 4, Ellis underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery, ending his 2022 season.^[29] On October 30, Ellis was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A Norfolk Tides.^[30] However, Ellis elected free agency in lieu of the outright assignment on November 1.^[31]

See also

• Rule 5 draft results

References

1. Hallman, Wesley (June 8, 2011). "Jag taken in final round of MLB draft". Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
2. "Chris Ellis - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
3. Inabinett, Mark (June 6, 2014). "Former Spain Park pitcher goes to Angels in baseball draft". Birmingham News. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
4. Kellenberger, Hugh (June 6, 2014). "Ole Miss' Chris Ellis goes in third round of MLB Draft". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
5. Inabinett, Mark (July 6, 2014). "MLB Draft's in-state picks get their first pro assignments after signing contracts". The Birmingham News. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
6. Glaser, Kyle (June 4, 2015). "66ers pitcher Chris Ellis no longer holding back, and has stronger numbers to show for it". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
7. Emrick, Robert (June 12, 2015). . MILB.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
8. "Braves deal Andrelton Simmons to Angels for Erick Aybar in SS swap". ESPN.com. November 12, 2015.
9. McCartney, Cory (December 21, 2015). "For prospect Ellis, connection to Braves runs deep". Fox Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
10. Black, Miranda (April 8, 2016). "Ellis, Albies lead M-Braves to victory". MILB.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
11. "Chris Ellis roughed up in Triple-A debut". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
12. "Chris Ellis Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
13. Bowman, Mark (January 20, 2016). . M.braves.mlb.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
14. "Chris Ellis Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
15. "Chris Ellis Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
16. Flanagan, Jeffrey (December 13, 2018). "Royals take Sam McWilliams, Chris Ellis Rule 5". MLB.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
17. "Frank Schwindel, Kyle Zimmer on Royals' opening day roster | The Kansas City Star". Kansascity.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
18. "Kansas City Royals box score 3/31/19". mlb.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
19. "Royals Select Homer Bailey, Designate Chris Ellis". mlbtraderumors.com. April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
20. Staff Report (April 9, 2019). "Cardinals get former Rule 5 pick Chris Ellis back from Royals". Fox Sports Midwest. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
21. "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
22. "Minor MLB Transactions: 12/20/20". December 20, 2020.
23. "Rays Select Chris Ellis". August 16, 2021.
24. "Rays Designate Chris Ellis for Assignment". August 18, 2021.
25. "Orioles Claim Chris Ellis from Rays, DFA Cesar Valdez". August 20, 2021.
26. "Chris Ellis: Heads to free agency". November 5, 2021.
27. "Orioles Re-Sign Chris Ellis to Minor League Deal". March 16, 2022.
28. "Orioles roster moves 4/19/2022". MLB.com.
29. "Orioles' Chris Ellis: Surgery deemed season-ending". cbssports.com. May 4, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
30. "Orioles' Chris Ellis: Activated, outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. October 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
31. "Chris Ellis: Elects free agency". cbssports.com. November 4, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• Ole Miss Rebels bio June 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
• Chris Ellis on Instagram