Darell Hernaiz Makes Athletics Opening Day Roste

Infielder will open the season in the majors, Oakland manager told reporters (including ) this evening. Hernaiz was to the clubs 40-man roster back in November ahead of last years Rule 5 Draft, and his first appearance with the club this year will be his major league debut. Hernaiz, 22, was a fifth-round pick by the Orioles in the 2019 draft and was swapped to the As in the deal that sent left-hander to Baltimore last January. The youngster enjoyed something of a breakout campaign during his first season in Oakland last year as he slashed .321/.386/.456 in 131 games split between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Hernaiz offered little in the way of power as he hit just nine home runs last year, but the youngster showed impre sive on-base skills with a fantastic 13.4% strikeout rate against a solid 8.9% walk rate. Hernaiz also has plus speed, as shown by his 54-for-64 record on the basepaths with the Orioles during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, though he swiped just 13 bags in 18 attempts with the As last year. After splitting time between shortstop as well as second and third base during his time with the Orioles, Hernaiz has played shortstop almost exclusively with the As. In Andre Iguodala Jersey 2023, he made 13 appearances at the keystone and just one at the hot corner compared to a whopping 112 at shortstop. That changed this spring, however, as Hernaiz split time between his native shortstop and third base in hopes of improving his odds of making the big league roster due to the clubs vacancy out the hot corner. While the acquisition of veteran infielder has plugged the gap at third in Oakland for the time being, the mid-spring addition didnt stop the As from offering Hernaiz a spot on the big league roster to open the season after he hit a decent .313/.340/.333 during camp while striking out just 16.9% of the time acro s 53 spring at-bats. Looking ahead to the regular season, Hernaiz figures to provide the As with a quality glove all around the infield off the bench, providing insurance behind Davis, shortstop , and second baseman . The youngsters high contract rates, solid plate discipline, and plus speed also figure to make him a useful bench piece who can be deployed as a pinch hitter and runner. Should injuries or ineffectivene s force a change in the clubs infield mix at some point in the season, Hernaiz figures to compete with fellow reserve infielder for those reps, though its always po sible a mid-season promotion for a prospect such as could change that calculus. Solomon Hill Jersey