Atlanta Braves (2011–2014) The
Atlanta Braves selected La Stella in the eighth round of the
2011 MLB draft. He signed with the Braves for $105,000 and spent the rest of the 2011 season with the
Rome Braves of the
Class A South Atlantic League. He batted .328/.401/.543 in 232 at bats. He was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. With Mississippi, La Stella batted .343/.422/.473 in 283 at bats over 81 games. He was named a Topps Double A All-Star. The Braves invited La Stella to
spring training in 2014. He began the 2014 season with the
Gwinnett Braves of the
Class AAA International League, and debuted at the major league level on May 28, hitting two singles in his first game. La Stella hit his first major league home run on August 8, 2014, against
Stephen Strasburg of the
Washington Nationals. He finished the year with a .251 batting average in 93 games.
Chicago Cubs (2015–2018) On November 16, 2014, the Braves traded La Stella, along with an international signing bonus slot, to the
Chicago Cubs for
Arodys Vizcaíno and three international signing bonus slots. La Stella made the Cubs'
Opening Day roster, but only played in two games before straining his right oblique on April 10, 2015. While rehabilitating at the minor league level with the
Tennessee Smokies, La Stella suffered another oblique strain. He came off the disabled list in August, and was sent to the
Iowa Cubs of the Class AAA
Pacific Coast League. On August 24, he was recalled from Iowa and rejoined the major league club. In limited time with Chicago, La Stella was used mainly as a pinch hitter, a role in which he excelled. To increase his versatility, La Stella began playing third base during the regular season. In 33 games, La Stella hit .269/.324/.403, and started at third base during the
National League (NL) Wild Card Game against the
Pittsburgh Pirates. After batting .295 for the Cubs in 2016, the Cubs optioned La Stella to Iowa on July 29, but he did not immediately report. The Cubs put La Stella on the temporarily inactive list. He agreed to report to Tennessee on August 17. Upon being recalled on August 31, La Stella stated that his refusal to report to the minors stemmed mainly from a lack of enjoyment for the game at the time of his demotion. In 74 games of the 2016 season, La Stella finished by batting .270/.357/.405 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. The Cubs won the
2016 World Series. La Stella had one at bat during the 2016 postseason. La Stella was on the roster for the
NL Division Series, but was replaced by left-handed pitcher
Rob Zastryzny for the
NL Championship Series.
Kyle Schwarber was selected for the final roster spot for the
World Series. In 2017, La Stella appeared in 73 games for the Cubs. He finished the year batting .288/.389/.472 with 22 RBIs and five home runs. On July 20, 2018, La Stella pitched an inning and a third as a relief pitcher during a lopsided victory by the St. Louis Cardinals. On August 31, his 21st pinch-hit of the season, a single in the seventh inning in a game against the
Philadelphia Phillies, broke the Cub record for pinch hits in a season previously shared by
Thad Bosley and
Dave Clark. The previous evening, La Stella had tied the record with a two-run go-ahead home run against the
Atlanta Braves. For the 2018 season, he batted .266/.340/.331 with one home run and 19 RBIs in 169 at bats.
Los Angeles Angels (2019–2020) On November 29, 2018, the Cubs traded La Stella to the
Los Angeles Angels for future considerations. With 43 games played into the Angels' 2019 season, La Stella was their regular second baseman and leadoff man with a
slash line of .301/.388/.611. He was among the league leaders with 11 home runs and 25 RBIs. La Stella was selected for the
MLB All-Star Game, but on July 2, he fractured his
tibia on a
foul ball. Before the injury, La Stella had been one of the Angel's most productive players. He had a .300 batting average with 16 homers and 44 RBIs in 78 games. He did not return until late September, playing in two of the Angels' final three games.
Oakland Athletics (2020) On August 28, 2020, the Angels traded La Stella to the
Oakland Athletics for
Franklin Barreto. In 2020 between the two teams, he batted .281/.370/.449 with five home runs and 25 RBIs, and was by a wide margin the toughest AL ballplayer to strike out, averaging 16.3 at bats per strikeout. His strikeouts percentage and whiff percentage were both in the lowest 1% in major league baseball, and on defense his arm strength (73.1 mph) was in the lowest 3%. He also led all AL second basemen in errors, with four. On May 18, he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a hamstring strain. In the 2021 regular season, he batted .250/.308/.405 with 26 runs, 7 home runs, and 20 RBIs in 220 at bats. He played primarily second base, with five games at third base. La Stella had offseason left Achilles surgery in late October, and was expected to recover in four months, in the middle of 2022 spring training. On May 16, 2022, La Stella was activated off the injured list and made his season debut against the
Colorado Rockies. In 2022 he batted .239/.282/.350 in 180 at bats, with two home runs and 14 RBIs. His sprint speed of 24.9 feet per second, the same as the prior year, was in the slowest 10% in baseball.
Seattle Mariners (2023) On January 19, 2023, La Stella signed a one-year contract with the
Seattle Mariners. He played in 12 games for Seattle, hitting .190/.292/.238 with no home runs and 2 RBI. On May 2, La Stella was designated for assignment following the promotion of
Bryce Miller. He was released on May 4. ==References==