Jayson Julio Aquino Félix (born November 22, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Barrie Baycats of the Intercounty Baseball League. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2016 with the Baltimore Orioles.
Aquino signed with the Colorado Rockies as an international free agent on July 2, 2009.[1] He spent his first professional season with the Dominican Summer League Rockies in 2010, posting a 4–3 win–loss record, a 1.02 earned run average (ERA), and 59 strikeouts in 612⁄3 innings pitched.[2] He also played the 2011 season with the DSL Rockies, and pitched to an 8–2 record, 1.30 ERA, and 80 strikeouts in 892⁄3 innings.[2] In 2012, Aquino pitched for both the DSL Rockies and the Rookie Grand Junction Rockies, posting a combined record of 10–1, a 1.66 ERA, and 110 strikeouts in 1081⁄3 innings.[2]
In 2013, Aquino was promoted to the Short-Season A Tri-City Dust Devils, and later the Class-A Asheville Tourists. In 14 starts comprising 87 innings, he would go 0–10 with a 4.34 ERA and 73 strikeouts.[2] Aquino was added to the Rockies' 40-man roster on November 20, 2013.[3] In 2014, he played with the Advanced-A Modesto Nuts and the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, posting a combined 5–10 record, a 5.13 ERA, and 83 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched.[2]
Aquino was designated for assignment by the Rockies on January 30, 2015,[4] and traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Tyler Ybarra on February 4, 2015.[5][6]
On March 8, 2015, the Blue Jays optioned Aquino to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.[7] He was designated for assignment on May 5.[8]
On May 10, Aquino was traded by the Blue Jays to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations.[9]
The Pirates designated Aquino for assignment on July 22, 2015.[10]
The Pirates traded Aquino to the Cleveland Indians for cash on July 29, 2015.[11]
The Indians designated him for assignment on December 7, 2015.[11] Aquino was claimed off waivers from the Indians by the St. Louis Cardinals on December 9, 2015.[11]
Aquino was traded by the Cardinals to the Baltimore Orioles for cash on April 7, 2016.[11] He pitched for the Bowie Baysox of the Class AA Eastern League before he was promoted to the major leagues on July 4, 2016.[12]
Aquino made his first career start in the majors on April 22, 2017 for the Baltimore Orioles against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He went six innings, giving up just two runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out two batters. Aquino earned the victory in a 4-2 Orioles win, the first of his Major League career. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017, and signed a new minor league contract with Baltimore on December 22.[13] He was released from the organization on June 19, 2018.
On July 19, 2018, Aquino signed with the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. He was released on August 8, 2018.
On December 27, 2019, Aquino signed with the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League for the 2020 season. However, Aquino did not play in a game due to the cancellation of the Frontier League season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On November 23, 2020, Aquino signed with the Barrie Baycats of the Intercounty Baseball League for the 2021 season.[14]