Amateur career Givens attended
Henry B. Plant High School in
Tampa, Florida, where he played for the school's baseball team as a
pitcher and an
infielder. In his junior and senior years, he was named All-State. In 2007, Givens was selected to play for the United States 18-and-under national baseball team. Givens was selected for the 2008 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game (East Team) played at
Dodger Stadium, in which he both pitched and played shortstop. At the Aflac Banquet, Givens won the Jackie Robinson Award as the nation's top high school player. Entering his 2009 senior season, Rawlings named Givens to the Preseason Senior All-American First Team and Florida All-Region First Team. As a senior, he had an 8–4
win–loss record and a 1.71
earned run average (ERA) with 113
strikeouts in 78
innings as a pitcher, and a .374
batting average with four
home runs and 31
runs batted in as a hitter.
Draft and minor leagues The
Baltimore Orioles selected Givens in the second round, with the 54th overall selection, of the
2009 MLB draft. He signed with the Orioles, receiving a reported $800,000
signing bonus rather than enrolling at
Oklahoma State University. The Orioles began to develop Givens as a
shortstop. Playing for the
Delmarva Shorebirds of the
Single-A South Atlantic League in 2010, he was batting .222 when he sprained his thumb. He required surgery to correct the injury. Givens played for the
Perth Heat in
2011–12 Australian Baseball League season and played in the
2011 Australian Baseball League All-Star Game. He batted .243 in Delmarva in 2012. In 2013, he pitched 40 innings for Delmarva, recording 36 strikeouts and a 4.22 ERA. With the
Frederick Keys of the
High-A Carolina League in 2014, he had a 1–2 record and a 3.24 ERA. The Orioles opted not to add Givens on their
40-man roster, which would have prevented him from being eligible in the
Rule 5 draft. Givens went unselected. With the
Bowie Baysox of the
Double-A Eastern League, Givens began the 2015 season with a 3–1 win–loss record, a 1.60 ERA and 12
saves with 54 strikeouts in innings.
Baltimore Orioles 2015–2016 The Orioles promoted Givens to the major leagues on June 20, 2015. He made his major league debut on June 24, pitching one scoreless inning, striking out one batter, and was
optioned back to Bowie the next day. He was named to the Eastern League All-Star Game. On July 31, he was recalled after the Orioles traded
Tommy Hunter and designated
Bud Norris for assignment. He pitched 1 innings while striking out two batters and earning his first career Major League win against the
Detroit Tigers. Givens went 2–0 in 2015 with a 1.80 ERA in 22 games, with 30.0 innings pitched. Givens struck out 38 batters while only walking six and had a WHIP of 0.867. Givens made the Orioles' 2016
Opening Day roster and made his first relief appearance on Opening Day. He threw 1 innings, giving up two runs while striking out two batters. The Orioles would eventually win the game 3–2 on a walk-off single. After allowing three runs in his first two relief appearances of the season, Givens saw his ERA sitting at 13.50. Givens would go on to throw ten consecutive scoreless innings, before giving up another run. He ended the month of April, having appeared in 12 games, throwing 12 innings, striking out 21, walking seven, and pitching to a 3.00 ERA. Givens also went 2–0 in the month. In May, Givens went 1–0, while pitching to a 1.93 ERA in 11 innings in eight appearances. Givens earned the win for the Orioles on June 2 and 3rd, making him 5–0 on the year and 7–0 for his career. According to STATS, LLC, Givens was the first Orioles pitcher to begin his Major League career with seven consecutive wins as a reliever. Givens would win three more games out of the bullpen in 2016. Givens finished his 2016 season with 96 strikeouts and a 3.13 ERA in 74 innings in 66 appearances. He pitched to a 1.27 WHIP and an 8–2 record while striking out 11.6 batters per nine innings pitched. Givens made his postseason debut in the
Wild Card Game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He entered the game with a 2–2 tie and runners on the corners. He forced a first-pitch double play. He ended up striking out three batters in 2 scoreless innings pitched, in what ended up being a 5–2 Orioles loss in 11 innings.
2017–2020 Givens was selected to Team USA's
2017 World Baseball Classic roster. Givens helped Team USA to win the gold medal at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, as he made three relief pitching appearances. Out of relief, Givens earned his first victory of the 2017 season on April 8, against the
New York Yankees after throwing a perfect inning while striking out two batters. Givens pitched to a 2.25 ERA before the break, striking out 44 batters in 44 innings pitched, picking up six wins and three saves along the way. Overall, he finished with a 2.75 ERA in 69 games, striking out 88 in innings. Givens began the
2018 season as the Orioles' setup man. With a 0–7 record in 69 appearances, he also had 9 saves in 13 attempts, eight of ten as the team's closer after the late-July
fire sale trades of
Zach Britton,
Brad Brach, and
Darren O'Day. Givens was tasked to be the Orioles closer to begin the
2019 season. He saved 11 of 19 opportunities, but his eighth and ninth inning ERAs went from 5.55 and 2.96 respectively the previous year to 1.93 and 6.69. He returned to the setup role for his final five outings.
Colorado Rockies The Orioles traded Givens to the
Colorado Rockies for
Tyler Nevin,
Terrin Vavra and a
player to be named later on August 30, 2020. Minor-league outfielder Mishael Deson was sent to Baltimore to complete the transaction nineteen days later on September 18. He finished the season with an ERA of 6.75 in innings. In 31 appearances for the Rockies in 2021, Givens posted a 2.73 ERA with 34 strikeouts.
Cincinnati Reds On July 28, 2021, the Rockies traded Givens to the
Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Case Williams and pitcher
Noah Davis.
Chicago Cubs On March 23, 2022, Givens officially signed a one-year deal with the
Chicago Cubs.
New York Mets On August 2, 2022, Givens was traded to the
New York Mets for pitcher Saul Gonzalez. On November 9, 2022, the Mets declined their half of a mutual option for the 2023 season, and Givens became a free agent.
Baltimore Orioles (second stint) On December 21, 2022, Givens signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the
Baltimore Orioles that includes a mutual option for 2024. He began the 2023 season on the injured list due to left knee inflammation, and made his first appearance of the season on May 21. On June 2, Givens was placed back on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 1. On August 13, he was activated from the injured list and subsequently
designated for assignment. He was released by Baltimore on August 19.
Miami Marlins On March 10, 2024, Givens signed a minor league contract with the
Miami Marlins. In 9 appearances for the Triple–A
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, he struggled to a 7.94 ERA with 13 strikeouts across innings. On May 2, Givens triggered the opt–out clause in his contract and became a free agent. ==Personal life==