Introduction
Gregory Soto (born February 11, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Career
Soto signed with the Detroit Tigers as an international free agent in December 2012. He made his professional debut in 2013 with the Dominican Summer League Tigers, pitching to a 1-2 record and 4.82 ERA in 16 games (12 starts), and returned there in 2014 where he improved, going 5–3 with a 3.20 ERA in 16 games (ten starts). He spent 2015 with the Gulf Coast Tigers and Connecticut Tigers, posting a combined 2–5 record and 3.23 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 39 total innings between the two teams, and 2016 with Connecticut where he was 3–2 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 15 starts.
Soto started 2017 with the West Michigan Whitecaps and was promoted to the Lakeland Flying Tigers during the season. After going 12–2 with a 2.25 ERA and 144 strikeouts between the two teams, he was named the Tigers minor league pitcher of the year.
The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season.
He spent the 2018 season with Lakeland, going 8–8 with a 4.45 ERA in 113 innings. On January 11, 2019, Soto was suspended for 20 games by Major League Baseball for “conduct detrimental to baseball" under Article XII(B). The suspension started on opening day. He was activated on April 20 and optioned to Lakeland, appearing in one game before being promoted to the Erie SeaWolves.
Soto made his major league debut on May 11, 2019, against the Minnesota Twins, starting the second game of a doubleheader as the 26th man.