Former South Alabama Jaguar Tyler Samaniego made his Major League Baseball debut for the Boston Red Sox on April 8, entering in the eighth inning at Fenway Park and striking out the side against the Milwaukee Brewers. The team announced his call-up earlier that day, making him the 29th player from South Alabama to reach the major leagues.
Samaniego played for South Alabama during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, where he led his team in saves as a senior. His performance included a notable six-out save with two innings of hitless pitching to secure a win over Miami during the 2021 Gainesville NCAA Regional.
He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifteenth round of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft, one of three Jaguars drafted that year alongside Ethan Wilson and Michael Sandle. After brief appearances in Single-A baseball, Samaniego spent several seasons with Pittsburgh’s Double-A affiliate Altoona Curve and was named Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year by the Pirates organization in 2022.
The left-handed pitcher from Huntsville, Alabama joined Boston following a trade between the Red Sox and Pirates in 2025 after performing well during Spring Training. Over his minor league career, he recorded a cumulative earned run average (ERA) of 3.82 across more than one hundred games.
Samaniego’s debut adds another name to South Alabama’s list of players reaching professional baseball’s highest level. The university encourages fans to follow its baseball program through various social media channels or its official athletics website for further updates.
