Adeiny Hechavarria of the Atlanta Braves falls and throws the ball away allowing two runs to score in the ninth inning of an MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on September 25, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Hechavarria will play for the Olmecas de Tabasco in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in 2024. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco for the 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol season, the organization announced on Friday.
Hechavarria, 34, was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, and played nine seasons in Major League Baseball.
Hechavarria is currently playing with the Gigantes de Carolina in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico for the 2023-24 winter league season.
Last season, Hechavarria started the season with the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League when he signed as a free agent on April 11 and played in 38 games, posting a .297 batting average in 170 plate appearances with 43 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 34 RBI, 21 walks, 24 strikeouts, and a .920 OPS before his contract was purchased by the Kansas City Royals on June 16.
Hechavarria played in 36 games at Triple-A Omaha in the Royals organization hitting .221 with 141 plate appearances and 28 hits, eight doubles, six home runs, 24 RBI, 12 walks, and 32 strikeouts before being released on August 14.
Prior to the start of the 2023 regular season, Hechavarria signed a minor league contract as a free agent on February 1 with the Atlanta Braves. He was later released by the Braves on March 22.
During the 2022-23 winter league season, Hechavarria suited up with the Gigantes de Carolina for 18 games, making 69 plate appearances and hitting .322 with 19 hits, two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, nine walks, and 14 strikeouts.
In 2022, Hechavarria played with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball. He played in 113 games with the Marines and their farm team, hitting .231 in 382 plate appearances with 81 hits, 17 doubles, five home runs, 31 RBI, 25 walks, 67 strikeouts, and a .605 OPS.
Hechavarria made his MLB debut on Aug. 4, 2012 with the Toronto Blue Jays, and has played with the Miami Marlins from 2013-17, the Tampa Bay Rays from 2017-18, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018, the New York Yankees in 2018, the New York Mets in 2019, and Atlanta Braves from 2019-20.
During his nine seasons in MLB, Hechavarria has played in 922 games, making 3,287 plate appearances with a lifetime average of .253, 778 hits, 116 doubles, 36 tripless, 37 home runs, 273 RBI, 35 stolen bases, 163 walks, 550 strikeouts, and a .641 OPS.
The 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol regular season will open with the Diablos Rojos del México against the Pericos de Puebla at Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán on April 11.
The Olmecas de Tabasco will host the Piratas de Campeche on April 12 in their first game of the 2024 LMB regular season at Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero in Villahermosa, Mexico.