| Kevin Russo | |
| Position: | Third baseman/Left fielder |
| Birth Date: | 1984 7, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | West Babylon, New York, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | May 8 |
| Debutyear: | 2010 |
| Debutteam: | New York Yankees |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | September 23 |
| Finalyear: | 2010 |
| Finalteam: | New York Yankees |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .184 |
| Stat2label: | Home runs |
| Stat2value: | 0 |
| Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value: | 4 |
| Teams: | |
Kevin Alexander Russo (born July 8, 1984) is a former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees in 2010.
Russo attended Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado. As a running back on the Fairview High School football team, Russo rushed for 2,416 yards during his senior year, leading the team to a state title.[1] He and LenDale White were named as the two all-state running backs by the Rocky Mountain News.[1]
He attended San Jacinto College before transferring to Baylor University. At Baylor, he helped the Baylor Bears baseball team reach the 2005 College World Series.[1] In 2005, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] [3]
Russo was drafted by the Yankees in the 20th round (614th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. In 2007, he was a Mid-Season All-Star with the Tampa Yankees. In 2009, he was named an International League All-Star and a Triple-A All-Star.[4]
Following the 2009 season, Russo was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[5] He was called up to the major leagues for the first time on May 8, 2010.[6] He recorded his first hit in the Majors on May 21, 2010, in an interleague game against the New York Mets and added the decisive two-run double later in the game to lead the Yankees to a 2–1 win over the Mets.[7]
The Yankees designated him for assignment on May 6, 2011, to make room for Jess Todd on the 40-man roster.[8]
On November 18, 2012, Russo signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers with an invitation to spring training.[9] Russo spent the 2013 season with the Toledo Mud Hens. He was re-signed for the 2014 season but was released by the end of March.[10]
Russo signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball for the 2015 season.[11] He became a free agent after the 2015 season.
After retiring, Russo has served as a coach and insructor for Slammers North.[12]