Lonnie Soloff
Lonnie Soloff, 49, is beginning his eleventh season leading Medical Services after spending 10 years as head athletic trainer for the Cleveland Indians. In this role, Lonnie leads the organization’s efforts in research and development pertaining to physical development, performance enhancement and injury prevention while assisting club executives in short-term and long-term injury risk assessments relative to strategic amateur and professional player personnel decisions. Lonnie oversees the organization’s athletic trainers, physical therapists, team physicians, sports scientists and sport psychology teams, supervising injury treatment, rehabilitation systems and physical development at both the major league and minor league levels. Active in teaching orthopedics and baseball sports medicine, Soloff participates in clinical research and lectures. Soloff shared the honor of Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year Award in 2016 and 2007 and Dick Martin Award in 2007. In addition to serving as American League athletic trainer for the 2012 MLB All-Star game alongside close friend Nick Kenney, Soloff was honored to represent his country working as an athletic trainer with Team USA during their Gold Medal run in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Prior to joining the Indians organization in 2003, Lonnie served as physical therapist from 1999-2002 and assistant athletic trainer in 2003 for the Cincinnati Reds. A member of the NATA and APTA, Soloff began his career in baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996 as part of the PBATS internship program. A native of New Orleans, Soloff lives in Avon Lake, Ohio with his wife and three children.
James Quinlan
James Quinlan, 42, is beginning his first season as a director of major league player medical services after spending the previous 10 seasons as head athletic trainer. Quinlan joined the Indians organization in 2007 as the athletic trainer at the Mahoning Valley (Rookie) affiliate and also served as the teams rehabilitation cooridator for several years. Quinlan received a bachelor’s degree in athletic training while a student at Temple University in Philadelphia. He then obtained a doctorate in physical therapy from Widener University. Quinlan, who is also a member of the NATA and APTA, began his career in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies, working as a bat boy and clubhouse attendant before serving as an athletic training intern in 2003. In 2019, he was selected as the AL Head Athletic Trainer for the MLB All Star Game at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. In 2016, James shared honors with the Cleveland Indians medical staff as “Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year.” Quinlan is a native of Havertown, PA a suburb of Philadelphia.
Jeff Desjardins
Jeff Desjardins, 50, is beginning his fifteenth season at the major league level with the Cleveland Guardians and his first season in the role of Head Athletic Trainer. Desjardins spent 9 seasons as a minor league athletic trainer in the Cleveland Indians Player Development System for a total of 24 years in the Guardians organization. He spent three seasons (2007-2009) serving a dual role as the Indians athletic training coordinator and athletic trainer at the club’s Triple-A affiliates in Buffalo, NY and Columbus, OH. In 2005 and 2006, he was the athletic trainer for the Indians AA affiliate in Akron, Ohio. In 2006, he was named the Eastern League Athletic Trainer of the Year and was selected to represent the Indians in the Arizona Fall League. He held the same position in Kinston, NC in 2004 and in Lake County, OH in 2003. Desjardins originally joined the Indians organization in 2001, as the athletic trainer in Burlington, NC and served in that role for two seasons. In 2019, he was selected as the AL Assistant Athletic Trainer for the MLB All Star Game at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. In 2016, Jeff shared honors with Lonnie Soloff, James Quinlan and Michael Salazar as “Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year.” In 2021, Desjardins was voted by his peers to be the American League Assistant Athletic Trainer Representative on the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society Executive Board. A graduate of Plymouth State College in Plymouth, New Hampshire, Desjardins is a certified athletic trainer and a certified strength and conditioning specialist. He went on to complete a master’s degree in performance psychology through National University in 2021, graduating with distinction. He is also an American Red Cross First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer instructor. A native of Gorham, ME., Desjardins and family currently reside in Cleveland, Ohio.
Chad Wolfe
Chad Wolfe, 44, enters his sixth season as the club’s Assistant Athletic Trainer and is entering his 19th overall season as an Athletic Trainer in the organization. After spending a single season at rookie-level Mahoning Valley in 2004, Chad incrementally increased his time at each level by one year, beginning with Lake County in 2005 (2005-06) and concluding with five campaigns in Triple-A Columbus (2014-18). He spent three seasons in A Kinston, 2007-09, and four in AA Akron, 2010-13. Additionally, he spent two seasons as the Head Athletic Trainer for Aguilas Cibaenas (2012-13) in the Dominican Winter League, was named Carolina League Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2008 and the following year represented the organization in the Arizona Fall League. The Graham, NC native earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees from East Carolina University, earning a master’s degree in Health Education in 2003. He is also an American Red Cross First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer instructor. Chad resides in Macedonia, Ohio, with his wife Sarah and their two children.
Bobby Ruiz
Bobby Ruiz, 37, enters his first season as the club’s Assistant Athletic Trainer and is entering his 14th overall season as an Athletic Trainer in the organization. Ruiz spent his first three seasons at then Low-A Lake County (2011-2013), five seasons at High-A Carolina (2014)/Lynchburg (2015-2018), and two seasons AA Akron (2019-2020), before being named the Athletic Trainers Coordinator for three seasons (2021-2023). He represented the organization in the Arizona Fall League in 2014. He also served as an Athletic Trainer with Team Mexico during the Premier12 tournament (2019) with a Bronze Medal finish as well as served as Athletic Trainer with Team Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Ruiz was named Carolina League Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2017. He earned his undergraduate degree in Athletic Training from the University of La Verne (La Verne, CA) and graduate degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT). Currently, Ruiz is working to complete his Doctor of Athletic Training degree through A.T. Still University (Mesa, AZ). The Corona, CA native currently resides in Buckeye, AZ with his wife Alexandra and their two children.