Yohan Ramírez Bio
Yohan Manuel Ramírez (born May 6, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed reliever, he has appeared in the majors for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox since his MLB debut in 2020. Across his career he has split time between big-league rosters and Triple-A affiliates, frequently moving through the waiver and trade wire as a depth arm.
Early Life and Background
Yohan Manuel Ramírez was born on May 6, 1995, in the Dominican Republic. Like many prospects from the country, he grew up in a baseball culture that channels young athletes toward professional contracts through international signing periods. Public records about his childhood, schooling, and family are limited, and no widely confirmed details about his parents, siblings, or hometown are available in verified sources.
His formal education is not documented in public profiles, and his pre-professional life is best understood through the Astros’ international scouting operation that signed him as a teenager. The Dominican Republic has produced generations of MLB pitchers, and Ramírez emerged from that pipeline as a teenage free agent in the mid-2010s.
Path to Major League Baseball
Ramírez signed with the Houston Astros as an international free agent on June 15, 2016, for a $15,000 signing bonus. He began his career in the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, going a combined 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA over 30+1/3 innings in 2016. Across 2017 he moved through Quad Cities, Buies Creek, and Corpus Christi, posting a 4-5 record and a 4.66 ERA in 75+1/3 innings as he adjusted to full-season competition.
He continued climbing the Astros’ minor-league ladder in 2018 and 2019, splitting 2018 between Quad Cities and Buies Creek with a combined 6-8 record and a 3.00 ERA across 78 innings, then moving to Fayetteville and Corpus Christi in 2019, where he went 4-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 106 innings. On December 12, 2019, the Seattle Mariners selected him in the Rule 5 draft, opening the door to the major leagues.
Yohan Ramírez Career
Early Career (2020-2021)
Ramírez made his MLB debut on July 24, 2020, against the Houston Astros, pitching one scoreless inning and recording his first big-league strikeout against Martín Maldonado. He finished the shortened 2020 season with a 2.61 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and 20 walks across 20+2/3 innings, an encouraging first impression in a Mariners bullpen that gave Rule 5 picks a chance to stick.
In 2021, Ramírez made 25 appearances for Seattle, going 1-3 with a 3.90 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27+2/3 innings. He opened 2022 with seven appearances and a 7.56 ERA, and on May 13, 2022, the Mariners designated him for assignment, ending his initial run in Seattle.
Cleveland Guardians and First Pittsburgh Stint (2022)
On May 16, 2022, Ramírez was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He appeared in 11 games for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, allowing five earned runs in 10+1/3 innings, and pitched two innings in the majors for the Guardians on June 24, allowing one run on three hits. He was designated for assignment on July 3.
Two days later, on July 8, 2022, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Ramírez in exchange for cash considerations. He made 22 relief appearances for Pittsburgh, going 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 27 innings. The stretch rebuilt his profile as a usable bullpen arm heading into the next season.
2023 Season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox
Ramírez was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin 2023 and was recalled by the Pirates on April 16. He made his season debut on April 19 against the Colorado Rockies and went on to log a 3.67 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 34+1/3 innings across 26 relief appearances. On September 1, 2023, the Pirates designated him for assignment.
On September 5, 2023, the Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers. In five games for Chicago he posted a 9.00 ERA with four strikeouts in four innings, and on December 13, 2023, the White Sox designated him for assignment.
2024 Tour Through the Majors
On December 18, 2023, the White Sox traded Ramírez to the New York Mets for cash considerations. He struggled to an 11.81 ERA in three games and was designated for assignment on April 8, 2024. On April 11, the Mets traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for cash, and in five appearances he recorded a 6.00 ERA with six strikeouts in six innings before being designated for assignment on May 2.
The Mets re-claimed him on May 6, 2024, only to designate him for assignment again on May 15 after a 7.56 ERA in two games. On May 20, the Mets traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash, and in 27 games he allowed 18 runs in 29+1/3 innings for a 5.52 ERA before being designated for assignment on July 25. The Boston Red Sox claimed him off waivers on July 28; he pitched 1+1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs, and was designated for assignment on July 31, then sent outright to Triple-A Worcester on August 2. He elected free agency on October 1.
Return to Pittsburgh (2024-2025)
On October 24, 2024, Ramírez signed a minor-league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On July 4, 2025, he triggered an opt-out clause and was released, then re-signed with Pittsburgh on a new minor-league deal two days later and was assigned to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. On July 11, the Pirates selected his contract, adding him back to their active roster.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ramírez has carved out his career as a right-handed relief pitcher, working in short bursts out of the bullpen rather than as a starter. His minor-league track record suggests a pitcher who can generate swings and misses, with a 2020 MLB debut that featured strong strikeout rates, even as walk totals have tested his command. He has shown the ability to bounce back quickly between organizations, an underrated skill for a pitcher who has cleared waivers or been designated for assignment repeatedly.
Notable Events and Milestones
His MLB debut on July 24, 2020, against the team that originally signed him, the Houston Astros, remains a clear career milestone, and he opened that outing with a strikeout of Martín Maldonado. He has played for nine MLB organizations in five seasons, an unusually busy itinerary that reflects both his Rule 5 pedigree and the modern churn of bullpen arms on the waiver wire.
Yohan Ramírez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Publicly verified information about Yohan Manuel Ramírez’s parents, siblings, and extended family is limited. No widely confirmed details about a baseball lineage in his family are available in verified sources.
Personal Life
Verified public information about Ramírez’s marital status, spouse, and children is not available. He has spent his professional career moving between U.S. cities and the Dominican Republic, a common pattern for Dominican MLB pitchers.
2025 Season Performance
Ramírez’s 2025 storyline began with a minor-league contract signed on October 24, 2024, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his second stint in the organization. After working in Triple-A Indianapolis early in the year, he reached a contract crossroads on July 4, 2025, when he triggered an opt-out clause and was released, only to re-sign with the Pirates on a new minor-league deal two days later and return to Indianapolis.
His perseverance paid off on July 11, 2025, when Pittsburgh selected his contract and added him to the active roster, giving the club a familiar right-handed relief option for the second half. For a pitcher who has cycled through nine organizations since 2020, the move reflects both the front office’s continued interest in his arm and his willingness to use the opt-out as leverage to force a big-league opportunity.
Looking ahead through the rest of 2025, Ramírez will be looking to stabilize his role in the Pirates’ bullpen and avoid another round of designated assignments. With Pittsburgh rebuilding its relief depth, consistent outings could help him lock down a more permanent spot and finally end the transcontinental shuttle that has defined the past several seasons.