Former Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Reyes Moronta Dies at 31: Report

Reyes Moronta — a former Major League pitcher for teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants — has died, according to multiple reports.

Per ESPN and Sports Illustrated, the 31-year-old baseball player died in a traffic accident on Sunday, July 28. Citing the Dominican news outlet El Pregonero, SI reported that the incident occurred in a neighborhood in the Santiago province in the Dominican Republic — in front of his father's home.  

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and Liga Mexicana de Beisbol – the Mexican Baseball League — both confirmed Moronta's death and shared statements of condolences on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

“The player community was shocked and saddened to learn of Reyes Moronta’s death in a traffic accident Sunday,” the MLBPA posted. “We send our heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends in his native Dominican Republic and throughout the game.”

"The Mexican Baseball League deeply regrets the death of former player Reyes Moronta," the league wrote. "We join in the grief that overwhelms his family, friends and former colleagues."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Moronta was born in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic in 1993. In 2010, the former major league relief pitcher signed with the Giants as an international free agent at 17 before he made his MLB debut in 2017 as a top reliever.

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“Moronta appeared in 136 games with the Giants between 2017 and 2021,” the San Francisco Giants posted on X. “His warm spirit will be missed by all, and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.”

Moronta played for the Giants for two seasons before he underwent surgery on his shoulder in 2019 and sat out the entire 2020 season and played four games in 2021. 

In March 2022, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and played in 22 games for the team before he played for the Los Angeles Angels for two games this past season. 

Moronta was most recently signed to Bravos de León of the Mexican league. Sports Illustrated reported that the Bravos de León released him from the team on July 25. 

“We deeply regret the departure of Reyes Moronta,” the Bravos de León team shared in a translated post on X. “We wish family and friends a quick resignation to this news.”