Davey Martinez had a talk with 32-year-old rookie Yadiel Hernandez after the Washington Nationals optioned him to their Alternate Training Site last Thursday following an 0 for 7, four-K start to his big league career.
“I talked to him today,” Martinez said. “He’s going to be fine. I told him, ‘It’s your first stint. I know you can hit, I know you can swing the bat, I know you can play.
“‘Don’t worry about it, you’re going to get another opportunity I’m sure,’” Martinez assured the outfielder, who signed with the club in 2017, after playing in Cuba for years, and then defecting in 2015 when the Cuban National team was playing a tournament in the United States.