Humberto Arteaga

Humberto Jose Arteaga (born January 23, 1994) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals.

Career Kansas City Royals

Arteaga signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent on November 20, 2010. He made his professional debut in 2011 with the rookie-level AZL Royals. He began the 2019 season back with Omaha.

The Royals selected Arteaga's contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time on June 20, 2019. He made his debut that night versus the Minnesota Twins. He finished his rookie season with a .197/.258/.230 slash line with no home runs and 4 RBI in 41 games.

On December 2, 2019, Arteaga was non-tendered by Kansas City and became a free agent, but re-signed with the Royals on a minor league contract on December 17. Arteaga did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arteaga was released by the Royals on September 6, 2020.

Washington Nationals On February 4, 2021, Arteaga signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals organization. He was assigned to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators to begin the year, later receiving a promotion to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. Injuries to middle infielders Trea Turner and Jordy Mercer created an opening on the major league roster, and on July 2, Arteaga had his contract purchased. Arteaga started at shortstop that night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 0-for-3 with an RBI. The following day, the Nationals selected major league veteran Alcides Escobar to the roster, and designated Arteaga for assignment. On July 5, Arteaga cleared waivers and was sent outright to Rochester. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.