Dairon Blanco LaMadrid (born April 26, 1993) is a Cuban

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Career

Blanco began his professional career in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

, playing for the Ganaderos de Camaguey, Industriales de La Habana, and the

Alazanes de Granma Alazanes de Granma is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series, based in the eastern province of Granma. Until the 2016-2017 season, the Alazanes were a frequent contender, but had never advanced to a National Series final. However, in 2017 ...

from 2012 through 2016. He defected from Cuba to the United States in May 2016.

Oakland Athletics

Blanco signed with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

on April 2, 2018. He spent the 2018 season with the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

, hitting .291/.342/.406/.748 with 1 home run, 37 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. He opened the 2019 season with the

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whic ...

, hitting .276/.342/.468/.811 with 7 home runs, 44 RBI, and 27 stolen bases.

Kansas City Royals

On July 27, 2019, Blanco and Ismael Aquino were traded to the

in exchange for Jake Diekman. He finished the 2019 season with the Double–A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

, hitting .230/.282/.302 with 5 RBI and 6 stolen bases. Blanco did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Blanco split the 2021 season between Northwest Arkansas and the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

, hitting a combined .277/.350/.441 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI, and 41 stolen bases. On May 19, 2022, Kansas City selected Blanco's contract to the active roster as a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

replacement. He made his MLB debut on May 20, recording his first career hit. He appeared in 5 games for Kansas City, going 2-for-7 in 7 plate appearances. On June 3, 2022, Blanco was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Royals. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Omaha on June 7. He spent the remainder of the year in Omaha, hitting .301/.367/.486 with 14 home runs, 61 RBI, and 45 stolen bases across 107 games. Blanco was assigned to Triple–A Omaha to begin the 2023 season. In 49 games, he batted a stellar .347/.444/.451 with 3 home runs, 19 RBI, and a career–high 47 stolen bases. On June 12, 2023, Blanco was selected to the major–league roster. Republished b
The Boston Globe
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco, Dairon 1993 births Living people Alazanes de Granma players Criollos de Caguas players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Defecting Cuban baseball players Ganaderos de Camaguey players Industriales de La Habana players Kansas City Royals players Leones de Ponce baseball players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Midland RockHounds players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players People from Florida, Cuba Stockton Ports players Tomateros de Culiacán players Toros del Este players

Career

Oakland Athletics

Kansas City Royals

See also

References

External links