Riske was drafted by the
Cleveland Indians in the 56th round of the June amateur draft. In January , he was traded along with
outfielder Coco Crisp, and
catcher Josh Bard to the
Boston Red Sox in exchange for reliever
Guillermo Mota,
third baseman Andy Marte, and catcher
Kelly Shoppach. Riske was traded on June 15 of that year to the
Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher
Javier López.
Theo Epstein commented that Riske was traded because the Red Sox had too many
right-handed relievers, and needed a
left-hander like Lopez. He throws a low-90s
fastball, but due to his deceptive delivery, it appears even faster. He also throws a
slider and a
split-fingered fastball. Having posted solid numbers the past two seasons, Riske continued to put up good numbers in the 2005 season. In 58 games and 72 innings, Riske had an
ERA of 3.10 and a
WHIP of 0.96. His
strikeout total had noticeably declined over the past two seasons. In 2005 Riske experienced his first season in which he did not average more than one strikeout per inning pitched. He also is known for allowing
home runs, allowing 11 in and 2005, and six in only 44 innings in 2006. Riske played a minor role with the Red Sox in 2006, mainly appearing in blow-out games before being traded.
Leader in the bullpen Riske lead the
Kansas City Royals bullpen to the best season they had had in years in . Besides being a leader on the field, he was also a leader off. He was credited with helping turn around
Zack Greinke's career. On October 31, 2007, Riske declined his
$2.9 million player option. Later, on December 5, he signed a three-year contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers. He was part of the 2008 Brewers team that made the playoffs for the first time in more than 25 years. When future hall of famer
C.C. Sabathia was traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee in the middle of that season, Sabathia recalled in 2025 that having his "best friend" Riske in the clubhouse at that time helped him transition to his new team as Sabathia led the team to the playoffs. Riske was released by the Brewers on August 23, 2010. On February 7, 2011, Riske signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He was released after spring training, and retired. ==References==