David Clemente Bañuelos (born October 1, 1996) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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) East Division. As one of the America ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Amateur career

Bañuelos attended

Damien High School Damien High School is an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in La Verne, in the U.S. state of California, named for Saint Damien of Molokai. It is located in and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, part of the tri-school ...

La Verne, California La Verne is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,334 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area was home to Native Americans. The European history of the area dates back to the ...

, graduating in 2014. As a senior, he batted .395 with four

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 24

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs) for the baseball team. Undrafted out of high school in the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

, he enrolled at

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

, and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Long Beach State Dirtbags The Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball team is the college baseball program that represents California State University, Long Beach. Although all Long Beach State sports teams are officially known as the Beach, the baseball team is typically refe ...

. He became the Dirtbags' starting

as a sophomore in 2016. During the summer of 2016, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Bellingham Bells The Bellingham Bells are a collegiate summer baseball team in the West Coast League. The team is composed of college baseball players from teams around the U.S. Originally founded as an expansion team in the Pacific International League, the Be ...

of the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

. In 2017, he batted .289 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs and was named a First-Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' and one of three finalists for the

Johnny Bench Award The Johnny Bench Award may refer to: *Buster Posey Award The Buster Posey Award, formerly known as the Johnny Bench Award, was created in 2000 to honor college baseball's top catcher in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division ...

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

The

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

drafted Bañuelos in the fifth round, with the 153rd overall selection, of the

2017 Major League Baseball draft The 2017 Major League Baseball draft began on June 12, 2017. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first 36 picks, including the first round and compensatory picks, were broadcast on MLB Network on June 12, while the remai ...

. He signed with the Mariners, receiving a $300,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, and made his professional debut with the Low–A

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seatin ...

, where he spent his first professional season, posting a .236 batting average with four home runs and 26 RBI in 36 games.

Minnesota Twins

On December 6, 2017, in an attempt to sign

Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Basebal ...

during the 2017–18 offseason, the Mariners traded Bañuelos to the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

for $1 million in international signing bonus money. He spent the 2018 season with the Single–A

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...

, batting .220 with two home runs and 22 RBI in 73 games. Bañuelos begin 2019 with Cedar Rapids before being promoted to the High–A

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...

in May. Over 63 games, he slashed .177/.232/.263 with two home runs and twenty RBI. Bañuelos 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He returned to action in 2021 with the Double–A

Wichita Wind Surge The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Equity Bank Park. The Wind Surge were supposed to be ...

and Triple–A

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

. In 45 games between the two affiliates, Bañuelos batted .201/.245/.340 with 3 home runs and 18 RBI. Bañuelos spent the 2022 season with Triple–A St. Paul, playing in 55 games and hitting .204/.273/.376 with 8 home runs and 26 RBI. He spent the entirety of 2023 with Double–A Wichita, playing in 48 contests and slashing .270/.369/.526 with career–highs in home runs (10) and RBI (30). Bañuelos elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 21, 2023, Bañuelos signed a minor league contract with the

. On April 16, 2024, Bañuelos was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut that night as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, A ...

, and flew out in his only at–bat. The following day, Bañuelos 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 Baltimore. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

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

on April 19. On April 22, the Orioles selected Bañuelos' contract, adding him back to the major league roster. He did not appear for Baltimore before he was designated for assignment for a second time on April 26. Bañuelos cleared waivers on the following day, and was once more sent outright to Norfolk. On September 1, the Orioles selected Bañuelos' contract, adding him to their active roster. He did not play for Baltimore before he was designated for assignment the following day. Bañuelos cleared waivers and was sent outright to Norfolk on September 5. On October 16, 2024, Bañuelos re-signed with the Orioles on a minor league contract, and he began the 2025 season with Triple-A Norfolk. On July 10, 2025, the Orioles selected Bañuelos' contract, adding him to their active roster. He played in one game for the team against the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, being hit by an

Eury Pérez Eury Pérez may refer to: *Eury Pérez (pitcher) Eury Rafael Pérez (born April 15, 2003) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Pérez signed with the Marlins as an international free ...

pitch and striking out against Josh Simpson in his sole plate appearances. On July 14, Bañuelos was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bañuelos, David 1996 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Anchorage Bucs players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Ontario, California Bellingham Bells players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Everett AquaSox players Fort Myers Miracle players Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball players Major League Baseball catchers Norfolk Tides players St. Paul Saints players Toros del Este players Wichita Wind Surge players Damien High School alumni Estrellas Orientales players