| Jonathan Hernández | |
| Team: | Seattle Mariners |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 6 July 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | August 21 |
| Debutyear: | 2019 |
| Debutteam: | Texas Rangers |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | August 7, 2024 |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 13–8 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 4.29 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 150 |
| Teams: |
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| Highlights: |
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Jonathan Hernández (born July 6, 1996) is a Dominican-American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers.
Hernández signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent on January 30, 2013, for a $300,000 signing bonus.[1] He spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons playing for the Dominican Summer League Rangers.[2] He spent the 2015 season with the Arizona Rangers of the Rookie-level Arizona League, going 1–1 with a 3.00 ERA in 45 innings.[3] He spent the 2016 season with the Hickory Crawdads of the Single–A South Atlantic League, going 10–9 with a 4.56 ERA in innings.[3]
Hernández started the 2017 season with the Hickory Crawdads of the Single–A South Atlantic League[4] and was promoted to the Down East Wood Ducks of the High–A Carolina League.[5] He was chosen to represent the Rangers in the All-Star Futures Game.[6] He combined for a 5–11 record with a 4.03 ERA over innings in 2017.[3] On November 20, 2017, the Rangers added Hernández to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[7] He began the 2018 season with the Wood Ducks,[8] and received a midseason promotion to the Frisco RoughRiders of the Double–A Texas League.[9] Hernández posted a 4–2 record with a 2.20 ERA, with 77 strikeouts in innings in 10 games (10 starts) with the Wood Ducks.[3] In 12 games (12 starts) with Frisco, he posted a 4–4 record with a 4.92 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 64 innings.[3] The Rangers optioned Hernández to Frisco to open the 2019 season,[10] and he went 5–9 with a 5.16 ERA over 96 innings with them.[11]
The Rangers promoted Hernández to the major leagues for the first time on August 20, 2019.[12] He made his major league debut on August 21 versus the Los Angeles Angels; pitching scoreless innings and earning the win.[13] Hernández finished the season with Texas, going 2–1 with a 4.32 ERA and 19 strikeouts over innings. In 2020, he went 5–1 with a 2.90 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 31 innings for Texas.[14]
On March 9, 2021, Hernández was shut down for at least four weeks after being diagnosed with a "low-grade" sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.[15] On March 30, Hernández was placed on the 60-day injured list.[16] On April 12, Hernández underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entirety of the season.[17]
Following completion of rehabilitation assignments, Hernández returned to action for Texas in July 2022. On July 31, Hernández recorded his first career save after pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.[18] He finished that season after posting a 2–3 record with a 2.97 ERA and 27 strikeouts over innings.[19]
On January 13, 2023, Hernández agreed to a one-year, $995K contract with the Rangers, avoiding salary arbitration.[20] He made 33 appearances for the Rangers in 2023, recording a 5.40 ERA with 34 strikeouts across innings pitched.
Hernández made 26 appearances for Texas in 2024, posting a 3–1 record and 5.05 ERA with 36 strikeouts across 41 innings of work. Hernández was designated for assignment by the Rangers on July 30, 2024.[21]
On August 2, 2024, Hernández was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.[22] In three appearances for the Mariners, he struggled to an 11.57 ERA with three strikeouts across innings pitched. Hernández was designated for assignment by Seattle on August 8.[23] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Tacoma Rainiers on August 11.[24]
Hernández's father, Fernando Hernández, pitched in Major League Baseball.[25] Jonathan was born in Memphis, Tennessee, when his father played baseball there, but he was raised in the Dominican Republic. He is a Catholic.[1]