Ríos was drafted in the first round (19th overall) by the
Toronto Blue Jays in the
1999 MLB draft. A top prospect in the Blue Jays organization for several years, Ríos had considerable success in the organization's minor league system. In , he
hit .352 with 11
home runs and 82
RBI en route to winning the Double-A
Eastern League Most Valuable Player award. Ríos was promoted to Triple-A
Syracuse for the start of the season and made the jump to the big leagues shortly thereafter.
Toronto Blue Jays 2004 season He finished his rookie season with Toronto hitting .286 with one home run, 55
runs and 28 RBI in 111 games.
2006 season After his participation with the Puerto Rican team in the
World Baseball Classic, Ríos began to show why the Blue Jays valued him so highly in his break-out 2006 season. By June 6, 2006, Ríos was first in the league in batting average (among qualified batters) with a .359 average, along with 11 home runs — a new personal best only 60 games into the 2006 season, and 43 RBI. He then had his first multi-home run game on June 12, 2006, facing the
Baltimore Orioles at the
Rogers Centre. He was often given as an example of what is known in
baseball as a "
five-tool player". On June 27 against the
Washington Nationals, Ríos fouled a ball off his foot, which resulted in a
staph infection and a hospitalization. At the time, he was batting .330 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI for the Blue Jays. In recognition of his outstanding third season in the majors, the young outfielder was rewarded with a spot as a reserve on the American League All-Star Team. Ríos' performance earned him a spot as a reserve on the American League
All-Star team and he also agreed to participate in the
2007 State Farm Home Run Derby. He led all competitors by hitting 19 home runs throughout the contest, but the final round was won by
Vladimir Guerrero of the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Ríos fielded the last out in the All-Star Game. He led the team in all offensive categories during the first half of the season but slumped after the All-Star Break, with his hitting average settling to slightly below .300, and was overtaken by teammate
Frank Thomas as HR and RBI leader . In 2007, he had the lowest
range factor of all major league right fielders, 1.82. Ríos was honored with a
Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding right fielder in MLB. He was voted the
Blue Jays Player of the Year.
2008 season Rios signed a seven-year contract with the Blue Jays in April 2008 for a guaranteed amount of $69,835,000: $5.9 million in 2009, $9.7 million in 2010, $12 million each in 2011 and 2012 and $12.5 million each in 2013 and 2014. He finished the 2008 season with a slight statistical decline: .291 average, 15 home runs, 32
stolen bases, and 79 runs batted in. The
Toronto Blue Jays placed Ríos on waivers on August 7, 2009. On August 10, 2009, Ríos was officially claimed off waivers by the
Chicago White Sox.
Chicago White Sox After being claimed off of waivers by the
Chicago White Sox on August 10, Ríos batted .199, with three home runs, 9 RBI and a .296 on-base percentage in 146 at bats over 41 games. Ríos was the starting right fielder for 2013 until his trade. After the trade,
Jordan Danks and
Avisail García took over. In 599 games over five years for Chicago, he hit .269/.310/.430 with 74 home runs, 287 RBI, and 99 stolen bases.
Texas Rangers On August 8, 2013, Ríos was claimed off waivers by the
Texas Rangers, and was traded to them on August 9 for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Leury Garcia was announced as the player to be named later on August 11. He became the team's starting right fielder, replacing the suspended
Nelson Cruz. Rios hit for the cycle against the Houston Astros on September 23, 2013. In all of 2013, Ríos hit .278/.324/.432 with 18 home runs, 81 RBI and 42 stolen bases.
Kansas City Royals Ríos signed a one-year contract with the
Kansas City Royals on December 19, 2014, worth $9.5 million. The contract included an option for the 2016 season. In his Royals debut on April 6, 2015, Ríos hit a three-run home run in a 10–1 win to cap off a three-hit game. For the 2015 season, Ríos hit .255 with four home runs and 32 RBI while appearing in 105 games. On November 4, 2015, Ríos' option was declined by the Royals, and he received a $1.5 million buyout. ==2013 World Baseball Classic==