Dominic Manuel Núñez (born January 17, 1995) 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

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

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). Núñez was selected by the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

in the sixth round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...

, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2019.

Amateur career

Núñez was drafted by the Rockies in the sixth round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

out of Elk Grove High School in

Elk Grove, California Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Located just south of the state capital of Sacramento, it is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 176,124. A 2021 C ...

, for whom he had played shortstop on the baseball team. He committed to play

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, ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, but chose to sign with the Rockies instead of attending college.

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

After signing with the Rockies, he was assigned to the

Grand Junction Rockies The Grand Junction Jackalopes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and play their home games ...

to begin his professional career; he spent the whole 2013 season there, batting .200/.269/.323 in 195 at bats with 24 runs, three home runs, and 23 RBIs in 55 games, while primarily playing second base and shortstop. He returned to Grand Junction in 2014 and greatly improved, slashing .313/.384/.517 in 176 at bats with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 46 games, while playing catcher. In 2015, he played for the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It is located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different ...

where he batted .282/.373/.448 in 373 at bats with 61 runs, 13 home runs, and 53 RBIs in 104 games, as on defense he caught 21% of runners. Núñez spent 2016 with the

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the Central Valley. They ...

where he batted .241/.321/.362 in 390 at bats with ten home runs and 51 RBIs in 105 games, as on defense he caught 43% of runners. He was named a 2015 MiLB.com Organization All-Star. He played in 2017 with the

Hartford Yard Goats The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team was founded in 2016 when the New Britain Ro ...

where he batted .202/.335/.354 with 37 runs, 11 home runs, and 28 RBIs in 95 games. In 2018, he returned to Hartford, batting .222/.320/.343 in 377 at bats with nine home runs and 42 RBIs in 92 games. He began 2019 with the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

. On August 13, 2019, the Rockies selected Núñez's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his debut that night versus the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, and hit a home run off

Yoan López Yoan López Leyva (born January 2, 1993) is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to b ...

for his first MLB hit. In 2019 with Albuquerque, he batted .244/.362/.559 in 213 at bats, with 43 runs, 14 doubles, 17 home runs, and 42 RBIs. He was named a 2015 MiLB.com Organization All-Star. With the Rockies he batted 7-for-43. While Núñez did not appear in a game for the Rockies in the shortened 2020 season, he was named to the team's 2021 Opening Day roster. He served as the Rockies backup catcher throughout the season, hitting .189/.293/.399 in 288 at bats, with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 81 games. In 2022 with Albuquerque, he batted .223/.319/.360 in 247 at bats, with 39 runs, five home runs, and 29 RBIs, as on defense he caught 22% of runners. With the Rockies, he batted 4-for-33.

San Francisco Giants

On November 9, 2022, Núñez was claimed off waivers by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. On November 15, Núñez 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 the Giants after they protected multiple prospects from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. On November 18, he was non–tendered and became a free agent.

Chicago Cubs

On January 3, 2023, Núñez signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. In 45 games for the Triple–A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, he batted .216/.368/.366 with 4 home runs, 21 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. On August 6, Núñez was released by the Cubs organization.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 8, 2023, Núñez signed a minor league contract with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

organization. In 18 games for the Triple–A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, he batted .119/.224/.186 with one home run and one RBI. Núñez elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Cleveland Guardians

On January 30, 2024, Núñez signed a minor league contract with the

. In 68 games for the Triple–A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

, he slashed .202/.330/.339 with five home runs and 19 RBI. Núñez elected free agency following the season on November 4. On December 16, 2024, Núñez re–signed with Cleveland on a new minor league contract. In 32 games for Triple-A Columbus, he hit .136 with six home runs and 16 RBI. On June 6, 2025, Núñez was added to Cleveland's active roster after Austin Hedges suffered a concussion.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunez, Dom 1995 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Sacramento County, California Cleveland Guardians players Colorado Rockies players Columbus Clippers players Grand Junction Rockies players Hartford Yard Goats players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball catchers Modesto Nuts players Salt River Rafters players Sportspeople from Elk Grove, California 21st-century American sportsmen