Yadiel Hernandez’s journey to Major League Baseball will be complete Saturday night. The 32-year old Cuban-born outfielder will get his first MLB start for the Washington Nationals against the Atlanta Braves.
Hernandez will start in left field and bat ninth in the Nationals’ lineup. He made his MLB debut Thursday, as a pinch-runner. Now he will get the opportunity to get his first full action after a long journey.
The Nationals selected Hernandez’s contract Thursday, as he replaced the injured Howie Kendrick on their active roster.
Hernandez started his baseball career in 2009 with the Mantzas Cocodrilos of the Cuban National Series at the age of 21. He defected from Cuba in 2015 and signed with the Nationals in 2016 for a $200,000 signing bonus.
He worked his way through the Nationals farm system the past three seasons.
Washington hopes he can provide them a strong left-handed bat. He can also play left field with Juan Soto at DH for the time being with elbow soreness. Last season, Hernandez hit .323/.406/.604 with 33 home runs and 90 runs batted in at Triple-A affiliate Fresno.
