Nationals select contract of Yadiel HernÃ¡ndez

By Pete Kerzel

Nationals

September 10, 2020, 10:45am

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The Washington Nationals selected the contract of outfielder Yadiel HernÃ¡ndez on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Nationals placed first baseman/designated hitter Howie Kendrick on the 10-day Injured List with a left hamstring strain (retroactive to Sept. 6). Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

HernÃ¡ndez, 32, joins the active roster for the first time and his first appearance will be his Major League debut. He was Washington's 2019 Minor League Player of the Year after leading Washington's system in home runs (33), RBI (90), slugging percentage (.604), batting average (.323), OPS (1.009), hits (142), extra-base hits (56) and runs scored (87) in his third season in Washington's Minor League system.

According to Baseball America, HernÃ¡ndez is the "Best Power Hitter" in Washington's Minor League system. In the field, he has the ability to play either left field (166 games) or right field (138 games).

A native of Matanzas, Cuba, HernÃ¡ndez was signed by the Nationals on Oct. 1, 2016. From 2009-14, he played for Cocodrilos de Matanzas of the Cuban Baseball Federation, breaking into the league as a 21-year old, more than four years younger than the league average age.

Kendrick, 37, hit .275 with four doubles, two homers, 14 RBI, seven walks and 11 runs scored in 25 games for the Nationals this season.