José Ernesto Hernández (born December 31, 1997) is a Dominican

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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

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 previously 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

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 (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Early life

Hernández is from Puerto Plata, where he grew up playing baseball and basketball.

Career

Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 12, 2016, the

signed Hernández as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He made his professional debut with the

Dominican Summer League Dodgers The Dominican Summer Dodgers are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica Northwest division and is affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American profess ...

. Returning to the DSL Dodgers in 2017, he recorded a 6–2 record and 2.52 ERA with 55 strikeouts in innings pitched across 15 appearances (14 starts). For the 2018 season, he played with the rookie-level

Arizona League Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

, registering a 2–1 record and 2.96 ERA with 38 strikeouts in innings pitched over 15 games. After missing the 2019 season because of injury, Hernández 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 ...

. In his return season, he made 32 appearances split between the Single-A

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 ...

and High-A Great Lakes Loons, posting a 3–2 record and 4.37 ERA with 61 strikeouts in innings pitched. In 2022, Hernández played High-A Great Lakes and 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 ...

, accumulating a 4–4 record and 3.32 ERA with 69 strikeouts and eight saves in innings pitched.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 7, 2022, the

selected Hernández from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft. He made the Pirates’

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roster out of spring training in 2023 and made his debut with one scoreless inning of relief on April 1 against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. His first MLB strikeout was of Christian Arroyo of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

on April 4. In 50 relief outings during his rookie campaign, Hernández recorded a 4.97 ERA with 62 strikeouts across innings pitched. Hernandez was optioned to the Triple–A

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

prior to the 2024 season, but made the Opening Day roster after pitcher Roansy Contreras was placed on the MLB paternity list. In his first appearance of the season, Hernandez pitched a scoreless 12th inning to notch his first career save in a 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 (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. In seven games for the Pirates, he recorded a 3.38 ERA with four strikeouts across innings pitched. On June 11, he was designated for assignment.

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

On June 13, 2024, Hernández was traded back to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. He was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the minor leagues on July 17.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Jose Living people 1997 births Sportspeople from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Dominican Summer League Dodgers players Arizona Complex League Dodgers players Arizona League Dodgers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Great Lakes Loons players Tulsa Drillers players Indianapolis Indians players Tigres del Licey players