Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Contributes as in-game replacement
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Hernaiz entered Sunday's loss to the Mariners as a defensive replacement at third base in the seventh inning and went 1-for-1 with a two-run double.
Hernaiz made things interesting during his only plate appearance, doubling home Seth Brown and Zack Gelof in the ninth inning to slice a four-run deficit in half. The young infielder played only 48 games at the major-league level during his rookie 2024 campaign, with a near two-month stay on the injured list due to an ankle issue playing a large part. Hernaiz finished with just a .192 average and .503 OPS across 135 plate appearances; however, the combination of his adequate 8.1 percent walk rate and 20.0 percent strikeout rate in his first brush with big-league arms and his career .294/.358/.424 minor-league slash line imply he could certainly take a notable step forward if he remains healthy in 2025.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Recalled Tuesday
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Hernaiz was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Hernaiz was optioned at the end of August after playing in 20 games in his return from the 60-day injured list. He now rejoins the big-league club after posting an .836 OPS in Triple-A since then. In a corresponding move, Ryan Noda was optioned to Double-A Midland.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Sent back to Triple-A
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The Athletics optioned Hernaiz to Triple-A Las Vegas following Sunday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.
Hernaiz's demotion clears room on the roster for fellow infielder Jacob Wilson (hamstring), who appears set to return from the 10-day injured list ahead of the Athletics' next game Tuesday in Cincinnati. Since being activated from the 60-day IL earlier this month, Hernaiz had settled in as the Athletics' primary option at third base, but he slashed just .209/.306/.326 with three extra-base hits and no stolen bases over 15 games to earn a trip back to Triple-A. With Wilson likely to take over as the Athletics' everyday shortstop, Max Schuemann is expected to slide over from shortstop to replace Hernaiz at third base.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Not starting Saturday
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Hernaiz isn't in the Athletics' lineup for Saturday's game against Milwaukee.
Hernaiz went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's series opener, and he'll now take a seat Saturday while Tyler Nevin starts at third base and bats seventh.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Hits pair of doubles
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Hernaiz went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI during Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rays.
The 22-year-old entered Thursday's contest with zero doubles in 113 plate appearances but notched a pair of two-baggers off Jeffrey Springs. While the Hernaiz has struggled to a .202/.267/.250 slash line this season, he'll likely continue to see plenty of work down the stretch for the 55-73 Athletics.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Out of Wednesday's lineup
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Hernaiz is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
It's the second time on the bench in the past three days for Hernaiz, who has a .206/.289/.294 slash line through 11 games in August. Tyler Nevin will start at the hot corner and bat sixth in his place.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Sitting out Monday
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Hernaiz is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Rays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Hernaiz had started each of the last five and seven of the last eight games at third base, but he will begin this one on the bench. Abraham Toro is getting the call at the hot corner in the series opener versus the Rays.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: On base three times Wednesday
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Hernaiz went 2-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Mets on Wednesday.
Hernaiz had one of two multi-hit efforts for the Athletics in a game where their bats quieted considerably. The rookie finally pulled his season average up to the Mendoza Line with Wednesday's production, and he's now hitting an even .300 over the 22 plate appearances covering his last six games.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Starting at hot corner again
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Hernaiz will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Mets, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Hernaiz is emerging as Athletics manager Mark Kotsay's preferred choice at the hot corner, having started at the position four times in a five-game span. The 23-year-old has posted a poor .561 OPS in August since being reinstated from the 60-day injured list Aug. 4, although that's better than what Abraham Toro (.345 OPS) has provided so far this month.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Back on bench Sunday
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Hernaiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Hernaiz had started in each of the last three games, but he'll likely move back into more of a utility role after Seth Brown returned from the paternity list Saturday. In Sunday's series finale, the Athletics will roll out an infield of Brown at first base, Zack Gelof at second base, Max Schuemann at shortstop and Abraham Toro at third base, and that will likely be the team's preferred configuration against right-handed pitching going forward.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Slugs first big-league homer
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Hernaiz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.
The rookie accounted for the Athletics' only run of the game with his 391-foot shot to left center in the third inning, his first big-league homer. Friday's start was the fourth in six games for Hernaiz since returning from the 60-day injured list, and he's now hit safely in two of the last three contests. However, Friday's blast was the first extra-base hit of his career as well, and he's still limping along with a .188 average and .472 OPS across 90 plate appearances this season.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Hitless in return to action
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Hernaiz (ankle), reinstated from the injured list earlier in the day, started at second base and went 0-for-4 in a loss to the Dodgers on Saturday.
The rookie infielder logged his first big-league action since May 7 after finally overcoming a troublesome ankle injury. Hernaiz had hit well during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas, but it wouldn't be surprising if his timing against major-league arms, which was still very much a work in progress at the time of his placement on the IL, takes a while to develop.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Reinstated from IL
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Oakland reinstated Hernaiz (ankle) from the 60-day injured list Friday.
Hernaiz had been on the injured list since May 8 due to a left ankle sprain. He started his rehab assignment at Triple-A Las Vegas on July 20, and across his nine games, he slashed .364/.432/.545 with two stolen bases, three doubles, one home run and two RBI across 37 plate appearances. To make room for Hernaiz on the 40-man roster, the Athletics transferred right-hander Luis Medina (elbow) to the 60-day injured list. Hernaiz had been given a brief look in an everyday role prior to landing on the IL, but he may have to settle for a utility role upon his return with Zack Gelof, Abraham Toro and Max Schuemann seemingly locked in as Oakland's starters at second base, third base and shortstop, respectively.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Remains on assignment Tuesday
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Hernaiz (ankle) played a full game at shortstop in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Albuquerque on Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs.
Hernaiz was charged with an error as well, but otherwise, his night was yet another step in the right direction. The 22-year-old appears ready for activation at any point moving forward, as he's now forged a .345 average and .873 OPS across 33 plate appearances over eight rehab games. Hernaiz has experience playing every infield position besides first base.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Solid workload in rehab games
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Hernaiz (ankle) played in back-to-back rehab games for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday, logging eight innings at second base in the former and taking a full allotment of plate appearances as the designated hitter in the latter.
Hernaiz went a combined 2-for-9 during that stretch and has hit .364 over 24 plate appearances across six rehab games overall. The 22-year-old has also gotten the green light for a pair of steal attempts -- both successful -- during his time in the minors, supporting the notion his previously injured ankle could be back to full strength. Hernaiz appears well on track to be activated from the 60-day injured list at some point early in the coming week.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Another standout rehab effort
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Hernaiz (ankle) started at shortstop and played seven innings in Triple-A Las Vegas' extra-inning win over Reno on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with an RBI double, a stolen base and two runs.
Hernaiz was back on defense after a day off Monday, and he delivered an encouraging offensive performance in addition to logging a full workload on defense without issue. The recovering infielder has hit safely in three straight rehab games and has back-to-back multi-hit efforts, suggesting he may not have much left to prove in the minors before activation.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Two more hits in second rehab game
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Hernaiz (ankle) started at shortstop and played six innings in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Salt Lake on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a run.
Hernaiz was encouragingly able to log a solid workload on defense just a day after playing a full game at designated hitter, and he hit safely for the second time in as many contests as well. Through two games, Hernaiz's rehab assignment appears to be going as smoothly as possible, but he still figures to remain on the farm for several more contests at minimum before activation is considered.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Kicks off rehab assignment Saturday
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Hernaiz (ankle) started at designated hitter in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Salt Lake on Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a double.
The rookie infielder was logging his first game action since May 7 and put together an encouraging performance overall. Hernaiz figures to need an extensive rehab assignment given the amount of time he's been sidelined, and his next appearance with the Aviators may also see him play at least a partial game on defense.
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Athletics' Darell Hernaiz: Cleared for rehab assignment
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The Athletics sent Hernaiz to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday to begin a rehab assignment, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.
Hernaiz didn't play Friday in Las Vegas' 4-2 loss to Salt Lake, but he should join the Triple-A lineup at some point later this weekend to kick off what will likely be an extended rehab assignment. The 22-year-old infielder has been on the injured list since May 8 with a significant left ankle sprain.
Hernaiz (ankle) has begun a hitting progression, MLB.com reports.
Hernaiz was able to shed his walking boot in the first half of June, and he's now graduated to baseball work from the strength and fitness program. The infielder will likely progress to full baseball activities after the hitting progression before eventually embarking on what could be a fairly robust rehab assignment.
