Rafael Flores (baseball)

Rafael Flores is an American professional baseball catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut in 2025.

Career

New York Yankees

Flores attended Katella High School in Anaheim, California, and Rio Hondo College. He went unselected in the 2022 MLB draft. While he played collegiate summer baseball for the Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League, the New York Yankees signed Flores to a professional contract in July 2022.
After signing, Flores appeared in four games for the FCL Yankees in the 2022 season. He played for the Hudson Valley Renegades in 2023 and for Hudson Valley and the Somerset Patriots in 2024. Baseball America named Flores the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year for 2024.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 31, 2025, the Yankees traded Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez to the Pittsburgh Pirates for David Bednar. In 36 appearances for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, he batted.281/.363/.459 with six home runs and 28 runs batted in. On September 16, Flores was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut the following day, recording his first hit.