Paul DeJong Bio
Paul Sterling DeJong (də-YUNG; born August 2, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals. A native of Orlando, Florida, DeJong played college baseball at Illinois State University (ISU) and was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft.
Early Life and Background
DeJong was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, before moving to Antioch, Illinois, at the age of 11. His parents are Keith and Andrea DeJong, and he has a younger brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Emma. As a child, his mother brought him to Little League games, and a coach once told her when Paul was five years old that he would one day play in the major leagues. He grew up an Atlanta Braves fan.
DeJong graduated from Antioch Community High School in 2011. As a senior, he batted .430 with four home runs and 30 runs batted in (RBIs), leading his team to a 21–10 record. He was named All-area, All-Lake County First-Team, and All-North Suburban Conference First-Team for his efforts.
Path to Professional Baseball
DeJong attended Illinois State University, where he majored in biochemistry with a pre-medical emphasis and played college baseball for the Redbirds as a preferred walk-on. In 2015, he was named a Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and a Preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He graduated from ISU with a 3.74 GPA and had planned to attend medical school if a professional baseball career did not work out.
During his college career, DeJong earned All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team honors as a sophomore and as a utility player. He was also a 2015 Capital One Academic All-American and earned Academic All-District honors. After the 2014 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 38th round of the MLB draft, but he did not sign and returned to Illinois State. In 2015, Baseball America ranked him as the 108th-best prospect for the MLB draft, and the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the fourth round (131st overall).
Paul DeJong Career
Early Career (2015–2016)
DeJong signed with the Cardinals for $200,000 and made his professional debut with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. After ten games, he was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs of the Single-A Midwest League. Between the two teams, he batted .316/.394/.516 in 256 at bats with 42 runs, nine home runs, and 41 RBIs.
In 2016, he played for the Springfield Cardinals of the Double-A Texas League and was selected as a Texas League Mid-Season All-Star. He finished the season batting .260/.324/.460 in 496 at bats with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs in 132 games. He was named an MiLB Organization All Star and, after the season, was assigned to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League, where he was named an AFL Rising Star.
St. Louis Cardinals (2017–2023)
DeJong made his major league debut on May 28, 2017, at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. Facing Greg Holland in his first at bat, DeJong hit a home run on his first swing, becoming the ninth Cardinals player to homer in his first career at bat. On July 8 against the New York Mets, he set a Cardinals shortstop and number-eight hitter record with four extra-base hits in one game, including three doubles and a home run. The next day, he became the first rookie in MLB history to record seven extra-base hits in a three-game series.
DeJong finished his 2017 rookie campaign batting .285/.325/.532 with 25 home runs and 65 RBIs, leading all National League shortstops in home runs. He placed second in the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year balloting behind Cody Bellinger. On March 5, 2018, DeJong agreed to a six-year contract extension with St. Louis worth a guaranteed $26 million, the largest agreement at the time for a player who had not yet completed a full year of major league service. He returned as the Cardinals’ starting shortstop in 2018 and 2019, and in 2019 he was selected to the All-Star Game after batting .261 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs in the first half. He led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage, putouts, assists, and double plays and earned his first Gold Glove nomination.
DeJong remained St. Louis’ starting shortstop through the 2021 and 2022 seasons, though he struggled at the plate during stretches and was briefly demoted to Triple-A Memphis in 2022. He hit his 100th career home run on August 7, 2022, a three-run shot that helped the Cardinals sweep the New York Yankees. In 2023, after beginning the year on the injured list, he made his season debut on April 23 with two singles and a home run against the Seattle Mariners.
Toronto Blue Jays (2023)
On August 1, 2023, DeJong was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Matt Svanson. In 13 games for Toronto, he struggled at the plate, going 3-for-44 with one RBI. He was designated for assignment following Bo Bichette’s activation from the injured list and was released on August 21.
San Francisco Giants (2023)
On August 22, 2023, the San Francisco Giants picked DeJong up off the waiver wire after his Toronto release, signing him to a major league contract. In his Giants debut on August 23 against the Philadelphia Phillies, he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs. In 18 games for San Francisco, he batted .184/.180/.286 with one home run and five RBIs before being released on September 21.
Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals (2024)
On November 28, 2023, DeJong signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox worth $1.75 million, with incentives that could increase the total value by $250,000. In 102 games for Chicago, he batted .228/.275/.430 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs. On July 30, 2024, the White Sox traded him to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitcher Jarold Rosado. In 37 games for Kansas City, DeJong batted .222/.277/.417 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.
Washington Nationals (2025)
On February 16, 2025, DeJong signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals worth $1 million, with performance incentives that could add up to $600,000. On April 15, 2025, he was hit in the face by a 93 mph fastball from Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller and suffered severe facial injuries. He underwent a procedure to repair his nose and cheekbone, with a plate surgically implanted below one eye, and returned to play on July 2, 2025. He hit his first home run of the season the following day in an 11-7 win against the Detroit Tigers.
Notable Events and Milestones
DeJong’s 2017 debut homer, his record-tying four extra-base hits against the Mets, and his three-homer game at PNC Park in 2019 stand out among his most memorable performances. He became just the fourth Cardinals rookie to reach 20 home runs and finished second in the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year voting. In 2022, Illinois State University announced that its baseball hitting facility would be named the Paul DeJong Baseball Training Facility in recognition of his financial support of Redbird Athletics.
Paul DeJong Family
Family Background and Personal Life
DeJong was raised by his parents, Keith and Andrea DeJong, alongside a younger brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Emma. The family moved from Orlando, Florida, to Antioch, Illinois, when he was 11 years old, and he credits his mother for introducing him to Little League baseball at an early age. After the 2017 season, DeJong participated in a scientific study with Lawrence Rocks exploring the effects of temperature on the flight path of a baseball; Rocks is the father of Burton Rocks, who negotiated DeJong’s first major league contract.
DeJong lives in Riviera Beach, Florida. He earned a degree in biochemistry from Illinois State University and once planned to attend medical school before his professional baseball career took off.
2025 Season Performance
DeJong began the 2025 season with the Washington Nationals after signing a one-year deal in February. His season was interrupted on April 15, when he was hit in the face by a 93 mph fastball from Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller, leading to surgery to repair his nose and cheekbone and a plate being implanted below one eye. The injury kept him out of the lineup for roughly two and a half months.
DeJong returned to the Nationals’ lineup on July 2, 2025, and hit his first home run of the season the following day in an 11-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. His comeback from the facial injury marked a significant milestone in his 2025 campaign.
Entering the latter portion of the year, DeJong’s role with Washington centers on providing veteran presence at shortstop and third base. His performance after returning from injury will likely shape the team’s outlook heading into the final stretch of the season.