It was just three years ago that José Leclerc was standing on the mound in the World Series. Pitching for the Texas Rangers, who won that World Series four games to one over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Leclerc tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his three appearances, allowing only one hit.
He was even credited with the win in Game 1, retiring all six batters he faced in the 10th and 11th innings, before the Rangers' Adolis Garcia won it with a walk-off home run. And he got the save in Game 3.
But now, as the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays battle for the World Series trophy, Leclerc remains a free agent 554 days after throwing his last major league pitch, on April 22, 2025 for the Athletics against his onetime club, Texas. The former Rangers closer has had no major-league or minor-league contract reported since the San Diego Padres released him last month.
The Padres cut the right-hander loose from Triple-A El Paso on Sept. 7, ending a minor-league stint spent rehabbing from shoulder surgery.
Born Dec. 19, 1993, in Esperanza , Dominican Republic, Leclerc stands 6-foot and weighs 195 pounds. He signed with Texas as an international free agent on Nov. 20, 2010, and worked through the Rangers' farm system before debuting July 6, 2016, against Boston .
Through 2025, he owns a 12-21 record, 3.34 ERA, 41 saves and 481 strikeouts across 360 games, three of them starts. The Rangers named him their Pitcher of the Year in 2018. Tommy John surgery then forced him to miss the entire 2021 season .
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Leclerc worked 57 games for Texas in 2023 , going 0-2 with a 2.68 ERA, 67 strikeouts and four saves over 57 innings.
October brought a heavier load. He pitched in 13 postseason games, finishing 1-1 with a 3.29 ERA, 14 strikeouts and four saves in 13.2 innings.
Early in that run, he became the first pitcher in MLB history to close his team's first seven postseason games , as the Rangers opened the playoffs 7-0.
In the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Leclerc made three appearances, allowing no runs over 3.1 innings with four strikeouts and one save, which came in Game 3. Texas won the series 4-1 for the first and only championship in franchise history.
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Leclerc went 6-5 with a 4.32 ERA in 64 appearances for the Rangers in 2024, striking out 89 and saving one game. He elected free agency around Oct. 31 of that year.
The Athletics then signed him to a one-year, $10 million deal on Jan. 17, 2025.
The stay in Oakland ended almost before it began. Leclerc made 10 appearances, going 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA, eight strikeouts and five walks in nine innings. He landed on the 15-day injured list April 23 with a right lat strain and moved to the 60-day list a week later.
He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery around July 25 , performed by Rangers team surgeon Dr. Keith Meister. Leclerc elected free agency again on Nov. 2, 2025.
San Diego signed him to a minor-league contract March 27, 2026, and assigned him to El Paso. The Padres placed him on the 60-day injured list in April while he continued rehabbing, and he returned to game action in July, working at multiple levels of their system.
The results were rough. Leclerc posted a 7.77 ERA over 24.1 innings in the minors, with 26 strikeouts and 12 walks. His ERA at Triple-A was 11.74, and his velocity sat below its peak levels.
He now heads into the winter as a candidate for another minor-league deal while his recovery continues. Leclerc turns 33 on Dec. 19.
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