[1] He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins, and New York Yankees.

[citation needed] He made his major league debut for the Blue Jays on April 6, 2000 against the Kansas City Royals, entering as a defensive replacement in center field and grounding out in his first at-bat.

[7] He spent the entire 2005 season with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, where he batted .234 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 108 games.

After the Reds had opted not to re-sign him and with offers not flooding in, Wise began to explore the possibility of playing in the independent baseball leagues.

[10] When Paul Konerko, the White Sox first baseman went on the disabled list in late July, Wise was selected for promotion, due to his .319 batting average in Charlotte, ahead of prospect Jerry Owens.

[10] Wise was used mostly as a reserve outfielder/defensive replacement for Ken Griffey Jr., but impressed at the plate, hitting .288 with two homers and seven runs batted in 35 games before straining his adductor muscle on August 20.

[12] After recovering, Wise's big break came when White Sox All-Star left fielder Carlos Quentin fractured his wrist after fouling off a pitch on September 5.

He picked the perfect moment to hit his first career grand slam, a go-ahead, pinch-hit shot in the eighth inning to beat the Detroit Tigers 11–7 on September 14, 2008.

[4][14] Wise was named by manager Ozzie Guillén as the White Sox opening day center fielder and leadoff hitter for the 2009 season after impressing during spring training.

[16] On July 23, 2009, at U. S. Cellular Field, Wise was put in by Guillén as a ninth-inning defensive substitute, and promptly robbed the Rays' Gabe Kapler of a home run with a spectacular, juggling catch, preserving Mark Buehrle's perfect game.

[2] To thank Wise for his play Mark Buehrle gave him a bottle of Crown Royal XR in a cloth bag embroidered with his name and the date of the perfect game.

[32] After batting .333 (25-for-75) with four home runs for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Wise was called up on May 4, 2012, along with pitcher Cody Eppley to take the roster spots of D. J. Mitchell and Mariano Rivera, after the latter sustained an ACL tear.

[34] On June 29 against the White Sox, Wise made his debut as a pitcher on the mound to get the last two outs in the top of the ninth inning.