Rafael Jose Dolis Hernandez (born January 10, 1988) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who plays for the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays.
Dolis began his professional career in 2006 pitching for the rookie-level Arizona League Cubs, going 0âÂÂ2 with an 8.28 ERA in 13 games (three starts). In 25 innings of work, he struck out 33 batters. He pitched for the Peoria Chiefs in 2007, going 3âÂÂ1 with a 1.80 ERA in six starts. After not pitching in 2008, Dolis pitched for the Daytona Cubs in 2009, going 3âÂÂ9 with a 3.79 ERA in 27 games (25 starts). On November 20, 2009, the Cubs added Dolis to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Dolis began the 2010 campaign with Daytona, recording a 2.92 ERA across 14 games (13 starts). He also made 12 starts for the DoubleâÂÂA Tennessee Smokies on the year, logging a 5âÂÂ4 record and 4.07 ERA with 45 strikeouts across innings pitched. Dolis returned to Tennessee in 2011, compiling an 8âÂÂ5 record and 3.22 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 17 saves across 51 appearances.
Dolis made Chicago's Opening Day roster in 2012. However, he was demoted to the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, in May after compiling a record of 2–4 with an ERA of 4.73. On the season, Dolis registered a 6.39 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 4 saves across 38 innings of work.
In 2013, Dolis made five scoreless appearances for the Cubs, recording no strikeouts in five innings pitched. On October 9, 2013, Dolis was removed from the 40âÂÂman roster and sent outright to TripleâÂÂA Iowa.
On December 30, 2013, Dolis signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants. In four games for the TripleâÂÂA Sacramento River Cats, he struggled to a 16.62 ERA with 4 strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 26, 2014, Dolis was released by the Giants.
On December 5, 2014, Dolis signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. He elected free agency on November 6, 2015. During the 2015 season, Dolis pitched in 43 games out of the bullpen and posted a 7âÂÂ5 record with one save, a 4.61 ERA and 54 strikeouts for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
On December 8, 2015, Dolis re-signed with the Tigers on a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. However, he was released on January 15, 2016, in order to pursue a playing opportunity in Japan.
On January 18, 2016, Dolis signed with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
In 2016, Dolis pitched 34 innings of 2.12 ERA ball for the Tigers. On December 2, 2016, he became a free agent.
On February 22, 2017, Dolis re-signed with the Tigers. In 2017, Dolis pitched 63 innings for the Tigers with a 2.71 ERA. After the season, on December 11, 2017, he re-signed with the Tigers with Marcos Mateo.
In 2018, Dolis pitched to a 2.85 ERA in 53 innings. On December 2, 2018, he became a free agent. On December 12, 2018, he re-signed with the Tigers.
In 2019, his last year with the Tigers, he had a 2.11 ERA in 55 innings of work. In his four years with the Tigers, Dolis had a 13âÂÂ18 record, 2.49 ERA, 96 saves, and 227 strikeouts in 206 innings. On December 2, 2019, he became a free agent.
On February 8, 2020, Dolis signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. His contract includes a club option for the 2021 season.
On July 24, 2020, Dolis made his Blue Jays debut and on August 19, 2020, he recorded his first MLB save since 2012. With the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, Dolis appeared in 24 games, compiling a 2âÂÂ2 record with 1.50 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24.0 innings pitched. In 32 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2021, Dolis posted a 2âÂÂ3 record with a 5.63 ERA and 39 strikeouts. On August 18, 2021, Dolis was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. On August 20, Dolis cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. On October 4, Dolis elected free agency.
On April 29, 2022, Dolis signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox. He made 28 outings for the TripleâÂÂA Charlotte Knights, registering a 5.02 ERA with 28 strikeouts across innings pitched. Dolis was released by the White Sox organization on September 8.
On January 13, 2023, Dolis signed with the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League. In 25 appearances, he posted a 1âÂÂ3 record with a 6.56 ERA and 20 strikeouts in innings. Dolis was waived on July 10.
On April 8, 2024, Dolis signed with the KÃ Âchi Fighting Dogs of the Shikoku Island League Plus.
On July 22, 2025, Dolis signed with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, marking his second stint with the club. He became a free agent following the season.
On December 19, Dolis re-signed with the Tigers.