Thomas Javier Rivera (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2016 and 2017. Rivera is a native of New York City, and went undrafted after playing college baseball at Troy University. He made his MLB debut in 2016, and played for the Puerto Rican national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.\n', '

Rivera was born to Tommy, a handyman, and Nilsa Rivera, an insurance adjuster. Rivera is of Puerto Rican descent. His mother and father are from Aibonito and Ponce, Puerto Rico. He represented Puerto Rico at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Rivera grew up as a fan of the New York Yankees, but also liked the Mets. Rivera met his wife, Ashton, at Troy University.\n', '

Rivera grew up in the Throgs Neck neighborhood of the Bronx. He played in local little leagues in Throgs Neck and Parkchester, and often played sports including baseball on concrete fields or in the street. In 2001 at the age of 12, Rivera played in a Little League district championship, eliminated by Danny Almonte and the "Baby Bombers" who went on to the Little League World Series. (The Baby Bombers had their wins wiped out retroactively due to the Almonte fraud.)\n', '

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