Despite describing his time at Pepperdine as a "great experience,"[3] he chose to transfer to Sonoma State University for his junior season in order to be closer to home and his ill grandmother.[3] With the Seawolves, he was 3–6 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts with 70 strikeouts and was named the fourth-best prospect in NCAA Division II by PGCrosschecker.com.[2]
In 2015 he pitched in 35 games for the Naturals and 11 for the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Pacific Coast League. He finished 2–4 with a 4.52 ERA in 672⁄3 innings.[9] He pitched for the Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Winter League after the season and then returned to Omaha for 2015, where he was 2–3 with a 2.56 ERA in 631⁄3 innings over 41 games.[9] The Royals selected him as their Triple-A Pitcher of the Year.[11]
Alexander was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2015,[12] and he made his MLB debut the following day against the Detroit Tigers. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, retiring two batters on groundouts and then striking out Nicholas Castellanos to end the game.[13] He pitched in six innings over four games for the Royals that season, allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts.[7]
In 2016, he pitched in 22 games for Omaha and 17 for the Royals. In the minors, he was 2–0 with a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings,[9] and in the majors he had a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings.[7]
He made seven more appearances in the minors in 2017[9] but spent most of the year with the Royals, where he was 5–4 with a 2.48 ERA in 69 innings over 58 games.[7] He picked up his first MLB win on July 2 when he pitched two scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins[14] and his first save on August 22 against the Colorado Rockies.[15]
Los Angeles Dodgers
On January 4, 2018, Alexander was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade that also sent Jake Peters to the Dodgers, Luis Avilán and Joakim Soria to the Chicago White Sox, and Trevor Oaks and Erick Mejia to the Royals.[16] The Dodgers used Alexander as an opener on June 1 due to an injury to Clayton Kershaw.[17] In his first season in L.A, Alexander was 2–1 with three saves as he appeared in 73 games (8th-most in the NL), allowing 27 earned runs in 66 innings for a 3.68 ERA.[7] He appeared in four games in the postseason for the Dodgers, one in the 2018 NLDS, and three in the 2018 World Series, allowing two runs to score on one hit and two walks in 21⁄3 innings pitched.[7]
In 2019, he pitched in 28 games for the Dodgers, with a 3–2 record and 3.63 ERA in 17.1 innings.[7] Alexander went on the injured list on June 12 as a result of left forearm inflammation, which turned out to be a nerve issue.[18] He underwent season-ending surgery to address the issue in September.[19] Despite the injuries, the Dodgers inked him to a one-year, $875,000, contract following the season, to avoid arbitration.[20]
Alexander appeared in 13 games for the Dodgers in 2020, and was 2–0 while allowing nine hits and four earned runs for a 2.92 ERA in 121⁄3 innings.[7] He was optioned off the active roster on September 2, and spent the remainder of the pandemic-shortened season at the Dodgers alternate training site.[21]
Alexander had a 2.31 ERA in 13 appearances for the Dodgers in 2021 before he was placed on the 60-day injured list on June 9, with left shoulder inflammation.[22] The Dodgers outrighted him to the minors and removed him from the 40-man roster on November 5.[23] Alexander rejected the outright assignment, and elected free agency.[24]
San Francisco Giants
On May 4, 2022, Alexander signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants.[25] In 2022 with three Giants’ minor league teams he was 3–0 with a 0.66 ERA in 13+2⁄3 innings. He was selected to the major league roster on August 26 and was 0–0 with two saves and a 1.04 ERA in 17+1⁄3 innings with one walk over 17 games.[26] In November 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the Giants for $1.15 million.[27]
Oakland Athletics
On February 14, 2024, Alexander signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics.[28] Injured during spring training, Alexander began the 2024 season on the 15-day injured list with a left-rib contusion.[29]
Personal life
Alexander has Type 1 diabetes, a condition that was diagnosed during the 2016 season.[30] He has three brothers, all of whom played baseball.[1] His older brother, Stu was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 29th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft and played in their minor league system until 2009.[1][31] His younger brother, Jason, currently pitches for the Boston Red Sox organization.[32]
.jpg)
