The Panamanian-born lefthander was a highly-regarded prospect when he first reached the big leagues with the Braves in 1998. He had stints with the Phillies, Mets, Expos and Reds before he signed with the Astros in the spring of 2003. Chen got into 11 games with no record and a 6.00 ERA with Houston before he was released.

Since then, he has pitched for the Red Sox, Orioles and Royals through 2009.