Rubén Tejada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rubén Tejada |
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Tejada with the Baltimore Orioles in 2017
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| Caliente de Durango – No. 28 | |||
| Shortstop | |||
| Born: October 27, 1989 Santiago de Veraguas, Panama |
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| debut | |||
| April 7, 2010, for the New York Mets | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2019 season) |
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| Batting average | .250 | ||
| Hits | 530 | ||
| Home runs | 10 | ||
| Runs batted in | 158 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Rubén Darío Tejada Abrego (born October 27, 1989) is a professional baseball player from Panama. He plays as a shortstop for the Caliente de Durango team in the Mexican League. Rubén has also played for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), including the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Rubén Tejada was born in Santiago de Veraguas, a city in western Panama. His dad, Rubén Sr., was a mechanic, and his mom, Donaji, was a secretary. Rubén also has a younger brother named Ernie.
Rubén grew up very close to Omar Torrijos Herrera Stadium. His father used to be a pitcher for a local team called Los Indios de Veraguas. When Rubén was a kid, his favorite baseball players were shortstops Derek Jeter and Omar Vizquel.
In 2001, Rubén played for the Santiago de Veraguas Little League team. They were so good that they represented the Latin American region at the 2001 Little League World Series. When he was 13, in 2003, Rubén started playing for Los Indios de Veraguas' junior team. He even played as a pitcher sometimes!
Rubén's Professional Baseball Journey
Starting with the New York Mets
Playing in the Minor Leagues
Rubén Tejada joined the New York Mets in 2006 as a young player from another country. He started his professional baseball journey in 2007. Before playing in the big leagues, Rubén played for several minor league teams. These included the Gulf Coast League Mets, Venezuela Mets, St. Lucie Mets, and Binghamton Mets. He also played for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.
2010: First Steps in MLB
In 2010, Rubén was invited to spring training with the Mets. He was one of the youngest players on the Mets' team when the season started.
On April 7, 2010, Rubén played his first game in Major League Baseball. A couple of days later, on April 9, he got his very first hit in the big leagues against Tyler Walker of the Washington Nationals. Later that year, on September 5, 2010, Rubén hit his first Major League home run off Cubs pitcher Marcos Mateo. For the whole season, he had a batting average of .213.
2011: Improving His Game
On May 17, 2011, Rubén was called up to play second base for the Mets. He had a great season, finishing with a .284 batting average.
2012: Becoming the Starting Shortstop
After star player Jose Reyes left the Mets, Rubén Tejada became the team's main shortstop for the 2012 season. On August 1, 2012, Rubén hit his second home run in the majors. It was his first home run since 2010!
2013: Dealing with Injuries
In 2013, Rubén had to go on the disabled list because of a leg injury. Another player, Omar Quintanilla, took his spot. After he recovered, Rubén was sent to the Mets' Triple-A team, the Las Vegas 51s. He finished the season with a .202 batting average.
2015: A Tough Play
On October 10, 2015, during a playoff game, Rubén was involved in a collision at second base. Another player, Chase Utley, slid into him, and Rubén broke a bone in his right leg. It was a very tough moment for him.
Rubén later said that he was most bothered by the play because it came from another middle infielder. He felt that players who play the same position should understand how to avoid hurting each other.
2016: Leaving the Mets
On March 15, 2016, the New York Mets decided to release Rubén Tejada from their team.
Joining the St. Louis Cardinals
On March 19, 2016, Rubén signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was expected to play shortstop because their regular player was injured. However, Rubén himself got injured in a pre-season game and started the season on the disabled list.
When he returned, another player had taken the shortstop spot. On May 20, Rubén even made a rare appearance as a pitcher for the Cardinals! He pitched one inning and gave up two home runs. Soon after, the Cardinals released him.
Time with Other Teams
San Francisco Giants
On June 13, 2016, Rubén signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. He was called up to play third base for a short time. He played in 32 at-bats for the Giants before being released again.
New York Yankees
In December 2016, Rubén signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He was later sent to their minor league camp in March 2017.
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles got Rubén from the Yankees on June 4, 2017. He played for their Triple-A team, the Norfolk Tides, before joining the Orioles' main team a few days later. He played for the Orioles for the rest of the season, batting .230. He signed another minor league contract with them in November 2017 but became a free agent after the 2018 season.
Back to the New York Mets (Again!)
On March 23, 2019, Rubén signed another minor league contract to return to the New York Mets organization. He played for their Triple-A team, the Syracuse Mets. On June 19, he achieved a special feat by hitting for the cycle! This means he hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run all in the same game. The Mets called him up to the main team in August, but he was later released and became a free agent in November 2019.
Later Career Teams
Toronto Blue Jays
On January 17, 2020, Rubén signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, he did not play in any games that year because the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was released by the Blue Jays in August.
Philadelphia Phillies
Rubén signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on May 5, 2021. He played in 72 games for their Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, before being released in August.
Chicago White Sox
On September 3, 2021, Rubén signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. He played in 8 games for their Triple-A team, the Charlotte Knights, hitting one home run. He became a free agent in November.
Long Island Ducks
On February 9, 2023, Rubén joined the Long Island Ducks. This team plays in an independent league, which means it's not directly connected to Major League Baseball teams. He played in 78 games for the Ducks, hitting 6 home runs.
Leones de Yucatán
On December 28, 2023, Rubén signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He played in 73 games for them in 2024, hitting four home runs.
Olmecas de Tabasco
On December 11, 2024, Rubén was traded to the Olmecas de Tabasco, another team in the Mexican League. He played 38 games for them in 2025.
Caliente de Durango
On July 2, 2025, Rubén was traded to his current team, the Caliente de Durango, also in the Mexican League.
Playing for Panama
Rubén Tejada has proudly represented his home country, Panama, in international baseball tournaments.
He played for the Panama's national baseball team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He also played in the qualifying tournament for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where he played very well.
In 2022, Rubén was chosen to play for Panama again in the qualifiers for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Panama successfully qualified for the main tournament! In the tournament itself, Rubén was one of Panama's best hitters. Even though Panama played well, they were eliminated from the tournament due to a tiebreaker rule.
Rubén was also named to the team for the 2024 WBSC Premier12 tournament.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players from Panama
