Brooks Kriske Bio
Brooks Joseph Kriske is an American professional baseball pitcher who has built a journeyman career across Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. He has appeared in the majors for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, and Minnesota Twins, while also pitching in Japan for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and the Saitama Seibu Lions. As of late 2025, Kriske is in the Athletics organization after signing a minor league contract.
A right-handed reliever drafted out of the University of Southern California, Kriske has bounced between Triple-A affiliates and active MLB rosters throughout his career. He is known for a powerful arm, post-inning work in extra frames, and a willingness to move between organizations in search of opportunity.
Early Life and Background
Brooks Joseph Kriske was born on February 3, 1994, in Palm Desert, California. He grew up in the desert community of the Coachella Valley and attended Palm Desert High School, where he played all four years of varsity baseball. He helped Palm Desert reach three consecutive California Interscholastic Federation State Finals from 2010 through 2012, winning the CIF state championships in 2010 and 2012. Kriske pitched a complete-game shutout in the 2012 state final and was a two-time All-State selection during his high school years.
Following high school, Kriske enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he played college baseball for the USC Trojans. His three years in the program helped him refine his repertoire and gain exposure to professional scouts. In 2016, the New York Yankees selected him in the sixth round of the MLB draft, launching his professional career.
Path to Baseball
Kriske’s path to professional baseball ran through California high school competition, a CIF state title run, and a well-regarded college program at USC. His draft selection in 2016 placed him inside a Yankees system that has long emphasized power arms out of the bullpen. Tommy John surgery in his first professional year tested his early development, but he returned to the field and climbed the minor league ladder.
His work in the lower minors, including an all-star selection in the Florida State League with the Tampa Tarpons, demonstrated the velocity and strikeout profile that the Yankees had valued when they drafted him. By the end of the 2019 season, the organization added him to the 40-man roster, signaling that he was part of their future relief plans.
Brooks Kriske Career
Early Career (2016–2019)
Kriske made his professional debut in 2016 with the Staten Island Yankees, but his first season was cut short when he underwent Tommy John surgery. The procedure forced him to miss the entire 2017 season while he rehabbed and rebuilt arm strength. He returned to action in 2018 and reached High-A Tampa before earning Florida State League all-star recognition.
Promoted to Double-A Trenton, Kriske continued to miss bats and demonstrate the kind of late-inning stuff the Yankees valued. After the 2019 minor league season, the Yankees added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and in March 2020 he was optioned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
New York Yankees Breakthrough (2020–2021)
Kriske reached the major leagues during the shortened 2020 season. The Yankees added him to the active roster on July 26, and he made his MLB debut on July 29 against the Baltimore Orioles, striking out two batters and walking one in a scoreless inning of relief. Across four appearances that summer, however, he struggled to a 14.73 ERA while striking out eight batters in 3⅔ innings.
He began 2021 in Triple-A with the RailRiders and was recalled by the Yankees multiple times during the summer. On July 21, 2021, Kriske recorded his first major league win by throwing a scoreless 10th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. The next afternoon, he was used in a save situation against the Boston Red Sox, but the outing went sideways when he tied an MLB regular-season record by throwing four wild pitches in the inning, blowing the save and taking the loss. The Yankees optioned him to Triple-A after that game and designated him for assignment on September 14, ending his time in the organization.
Baltimore Orioles (2021)
The Baltimore Orioles claimed Kriske off waivers on September 16, 2021, and assigned him to the Norfolk Tides. After a scoreless inning in the minors, he was promoted to the Orioles on September 19 and made his Baltimore debut three days later at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in four games for Baltimore but posted a 12.27 ERA in 3⅔ innings. On November 30, 2021, Kriske requested and was granted his release to pursue an opportunity overseas.
Yokohama DeNA BayStars (2022)
On December 8, 2021, Kriske signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. In 18 appearances for the BayStars during the 2022 season, he went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 26 batters and recording one save over 21 innings. His strong work in Japan helped reestablish his value as a late-inning reliever.
Kansas City Royals and Saitama Seibu Lions (2023)
Kriske returned to the United States in December 2022, signing a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. He opened 2023 with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, posting a 6.00 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 5 saves in 27 innings. The Royals selected his contract on June 18, and he appeared in four games for Kansas City with a 4.05 ERA and six strikeouts in 6⅔ innings before requesting his release on July 21 to return to Japan.
Five days later, on July 26, 2023, Kriske signed a $320,000 contract with the Saitama Seibu Lions of NPB. In 14 appearances for Saitama, he recorded a 1.93 ERA with 13 strikeouts and seven saves across 14 innings, finishing the season as a dependable late-inning option before becoming a free agent.
Chicago Cubs Era (2024–2025)
After another offseason move, Kriske signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on December 21, 2023. The Reds added him to their 40-man roster on June 17, 2024, to prevent him from exercising an opt-out clause, and he went 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 49⅓ innings for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. He was designated for assignment on August 22 following the signing of Dominic Smith. Baltimore then claimed him off waivers on August 25, and he pitched to a 5.00 ERA in eight games for the Norfolk Tides before electing free agency on October 31.
Kriske signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs on November 29, 2024. He went 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 18⅔ innings for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs before the Cubs selected his contract on May 24, 2025. He tossed a scoreless two innings against the Cincinnati Reds in his only initial appearance before being designated for assignment on May 29, clearing waivers and being outrighted to Iowa on June 5. The Cubs added him back to the roster on July 12, and he logged three more scoreless appearances before being designated for assignment again on August 2.
Athletics Era (2025–Present)
On August 5, 2025, the Minnesota Twins claimed Kriske off waivers. He struggled in 11 appearances for Minnesota, going 0-1 with an 11.70 ERA and 11 strikeouts across 10 innings before being designated for assignment on September 7. After clearing waivers and being outrighted to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints on September 9, Kriske elected free agency on September 29. On December 12, 2025, he signed a minor league contract with the Athletics, where he continues his career.
Driving Style and Strengths
Kriske is a power right-hander whose fastball sits in the upper nineties and plays well in late-inning and extra-inning spots. He has shown he can handle high-leverage work, including multi-inning relief appearances, and he has produced strong strikeout rates at both the Triple-A and major league levels. His willingness to move between affiliates and organizations has kept him on MLB rosters despite frequent roster churn.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the most memorable moments of Kriske’s career are his first major league win in extra innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021, the same weekend he tied the MLB regular-season record with four wild pitches in an inning against the Boston Red Sox. Across two NPB stints he recorded a sub-2.60 ERA, and he delivered a complete-game shutout in the 2012 CIF state championship final while at Palm Desert High School.
Brooks Kriske Career Wins
Brooks Kriske’s verified win totals include his first major league victory on July 21, 2021, while with the New York Yankees, along with a 1-1 record for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in 2022, a 5-0 mark for the Triple-A Louisville Bats in 2024, and a 2-0 record for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2025. He has also collected saves in both NPB and the minor leagues.
Major League Highlights
At the major league level, Kriske’s only verified win came with the New York Yankees in 2021. He has appeared in games for the Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Cubs, and Twins, and he has picked up saves during his time in Japan. Detailed season-by-season MLB win totals beyond that debut win are not fully verified.
Other Wins and Performances
Kriske has been a steady winner at the Triple-A level, including a 5-0 record with the Louisville Bats in 2024 and a 2-0 mark with the Iowa Cubs in 2025. He also reached the 2012 CIF state championship final with Palm Desert High School and won the title that year. Two NPB seasons in Japan produced a combined sub-2.50 ERA across the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Brooks Kriske Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Kriske is named after Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. He grew up in Palm Desert, California, and was active in the local youth and high school baseball scene before moving on to USC. Public details about his parents and siblings have not been verified.
Personal Life
Brooks Joseph Kriske is a United States citizen who was born and raised in Palm Desert, California. Public information about a spouse, partner, or children has not been verified. He has spent significant parts of his career living in the cities tied to his minor league and major league stops, including time in the Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre areas while in the Yankees system, in Norfolk with the Orioles, in Omaha with the Royals, and in Louisville and Iowa City in recent seasons.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a busy one for Brooks Joseph Kriske, featuring three different major league organizations. He opened the year with the Chicago Cubs, climbing from Triple-A Iowa to the active roster on May 24 and posting scoreless outings against the Cincinnati Reds before being designated for assignment in late May. After clearing waivers and returning to the Cubs in July, he added three more scoreless appearances before being designated again on August 2.
Claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins on August 5, Kriske struggled in 11 appearances, finishing his Twins stint with an 11.70 ERA over 10 innings before being designated for assignment on September 7. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints on September 9, then elected free agency on September 29.
His strong Triple-A work, highlighted by a 2-0 record and 3.38 ERA with the Iowa Cubs, and his long track record in international baseball, set the stage for his next opportunity. On December 12, 2025, Kriske signed a minor league contract with the Athletics, giving him a fresh organization and another chance to break camp on a major league roster. With bullpen openings common during spring training, his power arm and Triple-A results should keep him in the mix for an early-season call-up.