| Ronald Herrera | |
| Team: | Free agent |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 3 May 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Maracay, Venezuela |
| Debutdate: | June 14 |
| Debutyear: | 2017 |
| Debutteam: | New York Yankees |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | 2017 season |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 0–1 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 6.00 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 3 |
| Teams: | |
Ronald José Herrera Aular (born May 3, 1995) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees.
Herrera signed as an international free agent with the Oakland Athletics in December 2011.[1] He made his professional debut in 2012 with the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Athletics, going 2–4 with a 2.47 ERA in 58 innings. His 2013 season was split between the Rookie-level Arizona Athletics and the Low–A Vermont Lake Monsters, accumulating a 7–4 record with a 4.02 ERA in 77 innings.[2]
On May 28, 2014, the Athletics traded Herrera and Jake Goebbert to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Kyle Blanks.[3] He split that season between the Single–A Beloit Snappers and the Single–A Fort Wayne TinCaps, accumulating a 6–9 record with a 3.92 ERA in 132.1 innings.[2] In 2015, he split the season between the High–A Lake Elsinore Storm and the Double-A San Antonio Missions, accumulating a 8–7 record with a 4.08 ERA in 145.2 innings.[2]
On November 11, 2015, the New York Yankees acquired Herrera from the Padres in exchange for José Pirela.[4] His 2016 season was split between the Double-A Trenton Thunder, and the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, accumulating a 10–8 record with a 3.94 ERA in 137 innings.[2] On April 26, 2016, Herrera pitched eight innings of a joint no-hitter for the Trenton Thunder, with Jonathan Holder completing the game.[5]
On November 19, 2016, the Yankees added Herrera to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[6] His 2017 season was split between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Yankees, Trenton, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, accumulating a 8–1 record with a 1.91 ERA in 75 innings.[2] He was named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for June 5–11.[7]
The Yankees promoted Herrera to the major leagues on June 14, 2017.[8] He appeared in two major league games in 2017, recording a 0–1 record with a 6.00 ERA in 3 innings.
On November 20, 2017, the Yankees traded Herrera to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Reiver Sanmartin.[9] Herrera missed the 2018 season with a shoulder injury, and the Rangers outrighted him off their 40-man roster following the season.[10] [11] Herrera started the 2019 season on the injured list with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds as he recovered from shoulder surgery.[12] He split the season between Nashville and the Frisco RoughRiders, going a combined 3–10 with a 7.73 ERA in 79 innings.[12] Herrera elected free agency following the season on November 4.[13]
On March 2, 2021, Herrera signed with the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League. In 6 starts for the Jackals, Herrera compiled a 2–2 record and 4.68 ERA with 23 strikeouts across innings pitched.
On February 9, 2022, Herrera signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals organization.[14] He spent the year with the Double–A Harrisburg Senators, also appearing in one game for the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings. In 24 starts for Harrisburg, he registered a 5-9 record and 4.40 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 129.0 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.[15]
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.[16]