Ronald José Herrera Aular (born May 3, 1995) is a Venezuelan 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 ...

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 begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Guerreros de Lara of the

Venezuelan Major League The Venezuelan Major League, officially the Major League of Professional Baseball ( or LMBP) is a professional baseball league in Venezuela. Unlike the top-level Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, which plays a winter league schedule, the ...

. He has previously played in

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) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Professional career

Oakland Athletics

Herrera signed as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in December 2011. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Dominican Summer League Athletics The Dominican Summer League Athletics or DSL Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team of the Dominican Summer League that began play in 1989 as a rookie-level affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Re ...

, going 2–4 with a 2.47 ERA in 58 innings. His 2013 season was split between the

Arizona Athletics and the Low–A

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont, United States, who were founded in 1994 as the Vermont Expos. They were members of Minor League Baseball, in the New York–Penn League (NYPL), ...

, accumulating a 7–4 record with a 4.02 ERA in 77 innings.

San Diego Padres

On May 28, 2014, the Athletics traded Herrera and

Jake Goebbert Jacob Dwayne Goebbert (born September 24, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2014. Career Amateur Goebbert attended Hampshire High School in Hampshi ...

to the

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

in exchange for

Kyle Blanks Kyle Nathaniel Blanks (born September 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers. Blanks wore the un ...

. He split that season between the Single–A

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

and the Single–A

Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the ...

, accumulating a 6–9 record with a 3.92 ERA in 132.1 innings. In 2015, he split the season between the High–A

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

and the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

, accumulating a 8–7 record with a 4.08 ERA in 145.2 innings.

New York Yankees

On November 11, 2015, the

acquired Herrera from the Padres in exchange for

José Pirela José Manuel Pirela (born November 21, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman and outfielder for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yan ...

. His 2016 season was split between the Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

, and the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

, accumulating a 10–8 record with a 3.94 ERA in 137 innings. On April 26, 2016, Herrera pitched eight innings of a joint

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

for the

, with Jonathan Holder completing the game. On November 19, 2016, the Yankees added Herrera to their

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 ...

to protect him 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 ...

. His 2017 season was split between the Rookie-level

Gulf Coast Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

, Trenton, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, accumulating a 8–1 record with a 1.91 ERA in 75 innings. He was named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for June 5–11. The Yankees promoted Herrera to the major leagues on June 14, 2017. He appeared in two major league games in 2017, recording a 0–1 record with a 6.00 ERA in 3 innings.

Texas Rangers

On November 20, 2017, the Yankees traded Herrera to the Texas Rangers in exchange for

Reiver Sanmartin Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality.Hay, D. "England, Scotland and Europe: The ...

. Herrera missed the 2018 season with a shoulder injury, and the Rangers outrighted him off their 40-man roster following the season. Herrera started the 2019 season on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

as he recovered from shoulder surgery. He split the season between Nashville and the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

, going a combined 3–10 with a 7.73 ERA in 79 innings. Herrera elected free agency following the season on November 4.

New Jersey Jackals

On March 2, 2021, Herrera signed with the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Paterson, New Jersey. The Jackals compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the East Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

. In 6 starts for the Jackals, Herrera compiled a 2–2 record and 4.68 ERA with 23 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Washington Nationals

On February 9, 2022, Herrera signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

organization. He spent the year with the Double–A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

, also appearing in one game for the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. In 24 starts for Harrisburg, he registered a 5-9 record and 4.40 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 129 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10. On December 2, 2022, Herrera re–signed with the Nationals on a new minor league contract. He made only 5 starts for Harrisburg in 2023, recording a 4.81 ERA with 29 strikeouts across innings pitched. Herrera elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.

Guerreros de Lara

In 2025, Herrera signed with the Guerreros de Lara of the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Ronald 1995 births Living people Arizona League Athletics players Beloit Snappers players Dominican Summer League Athletics players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Fort Wayne TinCaps players Frisco RoughRiders players Harrisburg Senators players Lake Elsinore Storm players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Nashville Sounds players New Jersey Jackals players New York Yankees players Rochester Red Wings players Baseball players from Maracay San Antonio Missions players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Trenton Thunder players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Vermont Lake Monsters players