| Christian Roa | |
|---|---|
 Roa with the Dayton Dragons in 2022 | |
| Free agent | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:April 2, 1999 Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 2025, for the Miami Marlins | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 0.00 |
| Strikeouts | 3 |
| Teams | |
Christian Michael Roa (born April 2,1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins.
Roa attended Memorial High School in Houston,Texas. [1] [2] He played both baseball and football. [3] Undrafted in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft,he enrolled at Texas A&M University where he played college baseball for the Aggies.
In 2018,Roa's freshman season,he pitched in 14 games (with one start),pitching to a 4.30 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 14+2⁄3 innings. [4] That summer, he played in the Northwoods League for the La Crosse Loggers. [5] As a sophomore in 2019, he appeared in 17 games (making ten starts), going 3–2 with a 3.56 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 48 innings. [6] [7] On March 19, 2019, he was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week after throwing seven scoreless innings against the second ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. [8] In 2020, Roa returned to the Aggies starting rotation. He started four games, pitching to a 2–1 record and a 5.85 ERA over twenty innings before the season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9]
The Cincinnati Reds selected Roa in the second round with the 48th overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft. [10] [11] [12] He signed with the Reds for $1.5 million. [13] [14] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic. [15] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Daytona Tortugas of the Low-A Southeast. [16] He was placed on the injured list in May with a right elbow flexor mass strain, and did not return to play until mid-July. [17] In early August, he was promoted to the Dayton Dragons of the High-A Central. [18] Over 15 games (13 starts) between the two clubs, Roa went 4–3 with a 3.53 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 58+2⁄3 innings. [19] He opened the 2022 season on the injured list, but was activated in early May and assigned to Dayton. [20] In late August, he was promoted to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Double-A Southern League. [21] Over twenty starts between both teams, Roa went 6–3 with a 3.56 ERA and 102 strikeouts over ninety innings. [22] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs after the season. [23]
On November 14, 2022, the Reds added Roa to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. [24] Roa opened the 2023 season with Chattanooga and was promoted to the Louisville Bats of the Triple-A International League during the season. Over 28 games (25 starts) between the two teams, he went 5–9 with a 5.16 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 120+1⁄3 innings. [25] Roa was optioned to Louisville to begin the 2024 season. [26] In 23 games for Louisville, he compiled a 4–5 record and 5.55 ERA with 47 strikeouts over 48+2⁄3 innings pitched. On August 19, 2024, Roa was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder sprain. [27]
On November 1, 2024, Roa was claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins. [28] He was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on November 15. [29] In 47 relief appearances for Jacksonville, Roa compiled a 9–2 record and 2.83 ERA with 61 strikeouts and two saves across 57+1⁄3 innings pitched. On September 6, 2025, Roa was promoted to the major leagues. [30] He debuted the same day against the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching two innings, recording one walk and three strikeouts. Roa was optioned back to Triple-A Jacksonville on September 8. [31] On November 6, Roa was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Jacksonville. [32] He elected free agency the following day. [33]