Carlos Asuaje

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Carlos Alberto Asuaje Ciafre (born November 2, 1991) is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and in the Korea Baseball Organization for the Lotte Giants.

Early life
Asuaje was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and grew up in Weston, Florida. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School and played college baseball at Nova Southeastern University in Broward County, Florida. He also played summer baseball in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox selected him in the 11th round of the 2013 MLB draft, and he signed with them for a reported bonus of $100,000.

Professional career
Asuaje began his professional career in the Red Sox system, mainly as a second baseman after starting at shortstop. He reached the higher levels of the minors, showing strong hitting and versatility at multiple positions.

San Diego Padres
In November 2015, Asuaje was part of a trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to the Red Sox and brought him to the Padres. He made his major league debut with San Diego in September 2016, becoming the first of the prospects in that deal to reach the majors. He spent parts of 2016–2018 with the Padres, mainly at second base. In 2017 he served as the primary second baseman for a stretch and hit .270/.334/.362 with 307 at-bats. His 2018 season was tougher, as he hit .196, and he was designated for assignment after the season.

Lotte Giants and other stints
In December 2018, Asuaje was claimed by the Texas Rangers and then sold to the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization, where he played in 2019, posting a .252 batting average with 2 home runs and 21 RBIs in 49 games before being released in June. He then signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and played for the Reno Aces in 2019. In 2020, he signed with the Chicago Cubs, but the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was released in May 2020. He later spent a season with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization (Oklahoma City) before becoming a free agent in 2021.

Career overview
Across MLB, Asuaje posted a .240 batting average with 6 home runs and 42 RBIs. In Korea, he hit .252 with 2 homers and 21 RBIs in 2019. He is known for his versatility as an infielder and for being part of the Kimbrel trade that brought him to the Padres.