He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Miami Marlins.

Ziegler suffered a fracture of the skull,[2] but recovered in time to pitch again in 2005, earning a promotion to the Double-A Midland RockHounds of the Texas League.

[11] Continuing to start through the 2006 season, Ziegler moved further up the organizational ladder and pitched in a few games for the Sacramento River Cats of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, though he struggled in his brief time there.

[9] This led to a strong start to the 2008 season in Sacramento[11] prior to joining the major league club, though he suffered a second fracture of the skull in January during a workout following a youth camp he was assisting with.

Ziegler received his first call-up to MLB on May 30, 2008, when the Athletics purchased his contract from the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.

[12] The previous American League mark was 22 innings, set by Dave Ferriss of the Boston Red Sox in 1945.

[14] In earning his second on August 12 against the Tampa Bay Rays, he established a new Oakland record for consecutive scoreless innings at any point in a career with 38, passing starting pitcher Mike Torrez, who reached 37 in 1976.

Grover Cleveland Alexander holds the record for a rookie, throwing 41 consecutive scoreless innings in 1911 with the Philadelphia Phillies.

On July 31, 2011, the Athletics traded Ziegler to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto.

[16] On December 20, 2013, the Diamondbacks reported they had reached an agreement for a two-year contract with Ziegler, worth $10.5 million.

[18] On July 9, 2016, the Diamondbacks traded Ziegler to the Boston Red Sox for Luis Alejandro Basabe and José Almonte.