He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Houston Astros from 1978 to 1990.

[3] He made his first start against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 29, and collected his first major league hit against Mike Krukow in the sixth.

The Mets were following a similar script in 1980 until injuries to John Stearns and Ron Hodges made Treviño the primary catcher.

[6] Following the season, he and pitchers Greg A. Harris and Jim Kern were dealt to the Cincinnati Reds for former National League MVP George Foster.

Joe Nolan, who had done the bulk of the catching for the Reds in 1981, was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles during Spring training, opening the door for Treviño to be Bench's heir.

[9] The Braves finished the 1983 season in second place in the National League West, three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his first game as a Brave, Treviño caught former Mets teammate Pete Falcone, who held the Houston Astros to three hits in pitching his first shutout since 1981.

Facing the Montreal Expos on May 6, Treviño hit an eighth inning one out double, and came around to score the go ahead run on Mike Jorgensen's single to give the Braves the lead.

[11] In his only season in Atlanta, Treviño batted .244 with three home runs and 28 RBIs splitting catching duties pretty evenly with Bruce Benedict.

Seven games into the 1985 season, the Braves and San Francisco Giants swapped catchers, a straight exchange of Treviño for John Rabb.

On June 13, 1986 against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium, Treviño and Fernando Valenzuela formed the first Mexican-born battery in major league history.

Treviño began the 1990 season in Houston, then returned to the New York Mets[13] briefly before finishing his career back in Cincinnati with the Reds.