Santiago Buitrago's first UCI rated result is at the Colombian Junior time trial championships where he finished fourth.

[3] Buitrago joined UCI WorldTeam Bahrain–McLaren on a two-year contract after impressing the team by finishing sixth at the Giro della Valle d'Aosta in 2019.

[10] Buitrago finished eighth in the Vuelta a Burgos after fishing one second behind the winner on stage 1 of the race.

Joining the early break, Buitrago kept up with the other riders before making his move over the top of the Monterovere and powering away solo.

[17] He rode in the 2024 Tour de France, where he finished tenth overall and fourth in the young rider competition.