Yadiel Hernández (born October 9, 1987) is a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

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

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey ( en, Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monterrey, Mexico. They compete in the Northern Division. The team also joined the Mexican Pacific League for the 2019–20 season f ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. After playing 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. ...

for

Cocodrilos de Matanzas Cocodrilos de Matanzas (English: Matanzas Crocodiles) are a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Based in Matanzas Province, the ''Cocodrilos'' were formed after the dissolution of Henequeneros and Citricultores, two teams from Matanzas. ...

, he played in

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) for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Career

Cuban National Series

Hernández began his baseball career with the Cocodrilos in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. After hitting .369 for Matanzas in the 2014–15 Cuban National Series, Hernández

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at age 28 along with

Cuban national team Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

mate Luis Yander La O in June 2015, while they were in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

for a game against American college baseball players. Hernández was declared eligible to sign with a

team in April 2016.

Washington Nationals

On October 1, 2016, the

, not usually a major player for Cuban talent, signed him to a minor league deal with a $200,000 signing bonus. After playing for the Double-A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

in 2017 and 2018, Hernández was promoted to Triple-A. In 149 combined games for Harrisburg, Hernández hit .297/.389/.461 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI. He hit his first professional grand slam on May 9, 2019, for the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. Along with teammate

Dakota Bacus Dakota John Bacus (born April 2, 1991) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals. Career Oakland Athletics Drafted out of Indiana State University by the Oakland At ...

, he represented Fresno in the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Game. He finished the year hitting .324/.406/.604 with 33 home runs, 90 RBI, and 7 stolen bases in 126 games for Fresno. At age 32, Hernández was called up to the major leagues for the first time on September 10, 2020, after Nationals infielder

Howie Kendrick Howard Joseph Kendrick III (born July 12, 1983) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current special assistant to the General Manager for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Kendrick in the t ...

was placed on the injured list. He made his major league debut that day against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. He played in 12 games during his rookie campaign, going 5-for-26 with one home run and 6 RBI. In 2021, he batted .273/.329/.413 with 9 home runs and 32 RBI in 112 games. He had the slowest sprint speed of all major league left fielders, at 25.3 feet/second. In 2022, Hernández appeared in 94 games for Washington, batting .269/.312/.410 with 9 home runs and 41 RBI. His season ended early on August 27, when he was placed on the injured list with a left calf strain. Hernández was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A on November 15, 2022. Hernández began the 2023 season with the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

, playing in 10 games and hitting .205/.225/.256 with no home runs and 4 RBI. On April 17, 2023, Hernández was released by the Nationals organization.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On May 5, 2023, Hernández signed with the

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernández, Yadiel 1987 births Living people Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Cocodrilos de Matanzas players Defecting Cuban baseball players Estrellas Orientales players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Fresno Grizzlies players Harrisburg Senators players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Rochester Red Wings players Sportspeople from Matanzas Washington Nationals players