C. J. Chatham

Career

C. J. Chatham went to American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, before playing college baseball at Florida Atlantic University for the Florida Atlantic Owls. During the summer of 2015, he suited up for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Boston Red Sox selected him with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft. He began his pro career with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox, then moved up to the Lowell Spinners, where he posted a .259/.319/.426 slash line with four homers over 108 at-bats.

Injuries limited Chatham to just 19 at-bats for the entire 2017 season. He bounced back in 2018, starting with the Single-A Greenville Drive and hitting .307 across 19 games before earning a promotion to the High-A Salem Red Sox in May. Over 95 games that year, he batted .314 with three home runs and 52 RBIs. The 2019 season saw him begin at Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and get promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on August 13.

Combining both levels, he hit .298/.333/.408 with five homers and 46 RBIs in 110 games. On October 10, 2019, he was named to the United States national baseball team for the 2019 WBSC Premier 12. The Red Sox added him to their 40-man roster on November 20, 2019.

Philadelphia Phillies

On March 8, 2020, Chatham was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket, but the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so he did not play any games that year. On January 18, 2021, the Red Sox traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later (Victor Santos was sent to Boston on July 17).

The Phillies released him on March 28, but he re-signed with the organization on a minor league contract just days later, on April 2. He was assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, where he appeared in 50 games, hitting .271 with three homers and 23 RBIs. He became a free agent after the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On November 21, 2021, Chatham signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played only three games for the Triple-A Reno Aces, going 2-for-12, before the Diamondbacks released him on April 12, 2022.