Yusniel Efraín Díaz Hechavarría (born October 7, 1996) 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 ...

in the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

organization. He has 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

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Career

Industriales

Díaz played for the

Industriales Industriales is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Located in Cerro, La Habana, it is known as the only team representing the country’s capital, Havana. Industriales is historically the most successful team in the National Series, a ...

of 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. ...

and hit .348/.448/.440 over 65 games as a rookie. He was the favorite to win the Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year Award, but defected before the award was given out.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Díaz signed with the

in November 2015. The Dodgers assigned him to the

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

of the Advanced Class-A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

to begin his professional career. In 82 games for the Quakes in 2016, he hit .267 with eight homers and 54 RBI. In 2017, he played in 83 games for the Quakes and 31 for the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

and hit .292 with 11 homers and 52 RBI. He was assigned to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

and was chosen for the Fall Stars Game showcase. Díaz remained with Tulsa to begin 2018 and was selected to the "world" team at the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

Baltimore Orioles

On July 18, 2018, Díaz was traded to the Baltimore Orioles along with Breyvic Valera,

Dean Kremer Dean Junior Kremer ( he, דין קרמר; born January 7, 1996) is an Israeli–American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). In 2015 he became the first Israeli drafted by an MLB team. He made ...

Rylan Bannon Rylan Thomas Bannon (born April 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Houston Astros organization of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. Amateur ...

, and

Zach Pop Zachery Michael Pop (born September 20, 1996) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Miami Marlins. Career Amateur Pop attended Notre Dame Ca ...

in exchange for

Manny Machado Manuel Arturo Machado (; born July 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Very highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he at ...

. He was assigned to the

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

and finished the year there. In 97 games between Tulsa and Bowie, he slashed .285/.392/.449 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. He split the 2019 season between the

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team masco ...

, and Bowie, hitting a combined .265/.341/.464/.805 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. Díaz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league 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 ...

. On November 20, 2020, Díaz was added to the 40-man roster. Díaz split the 2021 season between Bowie and the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. In 65 games between the two affiliates, he batted .161/.233/.265 with 5 home runs and 22 RBI. He spent the majority of the 2022 season with Norfolk, slashing .251/.346/.360 with 6 home runs, 34 RBI, and 9 stolen bases in 70 games. On August 1, 2022, Díaz was recalled and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the next day, receiving one plate appearance and striking out against the Texas Rangers’

Dennis Santana Dennis Anfernee Santana Sánchez (born April 12, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers. Career Lo ...

. He was sent down to Norfolk to the following day. He was recalled on August 21, but sent down the next day without making an appearance. On November 10, 2022, Díaz was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Norfolk. He elected free agency on November 11.

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

On February 3, 2023, Díaz signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

References

External Links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Yusniel 1996 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Arizona League Dodgers players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Defecting Cuban baseball players Florida Complex League Orioles players Frederick Keys players Glendale Desert Dogs players Industriales de La Habana players Leones del Escogido players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Mesa Solar Sox players Norfolk Tides players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Baseball players from Havana Tulsa Drillers players