Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
Juan Cespedes Uribe Tena (born March 22, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played shortstop, third base and second base during his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Cleveland Indians. He bats and throws right-handed.
Uribe began his professional career in 1997 when he was signed by the Colorado Rockies. After advancing through the minors, he made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2001. He became their shortstop in 2001 and spent all of 2002 in that capacity. He missed part of 2003 with an injury and was traded to the Chicago White Sox following the season. After one season as a utility player, Uribe became the starting shortstop for the White Sox in 2005; he held that position for the next three years. While Uribe was with the White Sox, the team won the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. Uribe hit 21 home runs in 2006 but had a low on-base percentage. He hit 20 home runs in 2007 but had a low batting average with runners in scoring position (RISP). In 2008, Uribe lost his starting shortstop role to Orlando Cabrera and shifted to the starter at second, but then lost that job to rookie Alexei Ramírez. He eventually ended the season as the team's third baseman due to an injury to Joe Crede.
In 2009, Uribe signed with the Giants and was again used as utility player. He spent most of 2010 as the Giants' shortstop, hit a career-high 24 home runs, and had several key hits in the playoffs as the Giants won the 2010 World Series. Following that season, he signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The next two years were plagued by injuries and poor hitting, but he regained his starting role at third base and made strong contributions to the team in 2013 and 2014. Uribe was traded to the Braves in late May of the 2015 season and again to the Mets in July of the 2015 season. Before the start of spring training in 2016, he signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. He was injured by a ground ball on June 12, 2016 and was later diagnosed with a testicular contusion. The Indians designated him for assignment on August 1 and released him on August 5.