Introduction
Rafael Jose Dolis (born January 10, 1988) is a professional baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs.
Professional career
Chicago Cubs
He began his professional career in 2006 pitching for the AZL Cubs, going 0–2 with an 8.28 ERA in 13 games (three starts). In 25 innings of work, he struck out 33 batters. He pitched for the Peoria Chiefs in 2007, going 3–1 with a 1.80 ERA in six starts. After not pitching in 2008, Dolis pitched for the Daytona Cubs in 2009, going 3–9 with a 3.79 ERA in 27 games (25 starts).
He began 2010 with the Daytona Cubs. He made the Chicago Cubs opening day roster in 2012, but was demoted to the Cubs' Triple-A Iowa Cubs in May 2012 after compiling an MLB record of 2–4 with an ERA of 4.73.
Dolis was outrighted off the Cubs roster on October 9, 2013.
San Francisco Giants
Dolis signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants in December 2013. On May 26, 2014, Dolis was released by the Giants.
Detroit Tigers
On December 5, 2014, Dolis signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. He elected free agency on November 6, 2015. During the 2015 season, Dolis pitched in 43 games out of the bullpen and posted a 7–5 record with one save, a 4.61 ERA and 54 strikeouts for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
On December 11, 2015, Dolis signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers, and was invited to spring training.