Heriberto Hernandez is suddenly one of baseball’s hottest hitters, tearing through pitching with a 1.429 OPS over the past week. After early-season struggles and a trip back to the minors, his return to Miami has sparked a surge, helping the Marlins snap a skid and flip their momentum in June.
For the Miami Marlins, Heriberto Hernandez last thing he wanted was an off day with the way the ball has been jumping off his bat these days but will look to keep it going against the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks this homestand.
Over the last seven days, the Miami left fielder has been as hot as anyone in baseball, posting an outstanding 1.429 OPS. It's been a stretch where Hernandez is seeing the ball at the plate better than he has at any point in his career.
It’s a turnaround that couldn’t have come at a better time for Miami. Considering Hernandez's early struggles led to him being sent down, his performance since being recalled has been completely different, looking like a different player at the plate.
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough recently told reporters Hernandez looks a lot more balanced compared to early on. He would add that his time in the minors “was a little bit of a breather mentally,” and it helped him get back the confidence that he can perform at the major league level.
Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers agreed, saying Hernandez has been “really good for us,” whether as a starter or as a pinch hitter.
“I think Bert’s been a huge spark plug for us since he’s been back up,” Stowers said. “He’s such a great hitter.”
Producing at the plate is one thing; every player goes through a hot streak, but what Hernandez is doing is a stretch that forces the baseball world to take notice. It’s been a seven-day run where every time he steps to the plate, there is the belief he is going to do damage with the ball. Whether it’s a home run or a hit into the gap, Hernandez has been delivering all week.
The numbers Hernandez has put up over the last seven are through the roof. In 20 plate appearances over the past week, he’s slashing .400/.429/1.000 with four runs scored, 10 RBI, and four home runs.
Hernandez has been one of the game’s most productive hitters during his recent hot stretch, producing an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of 1.429. It’s exactly what Miami needed after five consecutive losses heading into June.
Since then, the team has won three straight, and when you add in Joe Macks’ breakout along with Hernandez, this past week could provide the spark that ignites the Marlins’ offense moving forward.
“We've got to continue fighting,” Hernandez said. “I think we can win more games than last year.”
The Marlins gave Hernandez an opportunity, and he is taking full advantage of it, proving that the long journey to this point was worth the wait. The 26-year-old, born in the Dominican Republic, originally signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent in 2017.
It didn’t take Hernandez long after signing to start making a name for himself as one of the Rangers’ top young bats. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a deal that sent Nathaniel Lowe to Texas after a standout 2019 season, .
During his time in the Rays organization, Hernandez progressed to Triple-A. Unfortunately, he never received a call-up to the big leagues, and after the 2024 season, he elected to become a free agent. Nine days later, he signed with the Marlins.
Hernandez opened the 2025 season with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, then earned his first Major League call-up and made his MLB debut in June. Over his 572 minor league games, Hernandez put together a .260 batting average and an .876 OPS across 1,962 at-bats, producing 104 home runs and 374 RBI.
Hernandez most likely can't continue to swing the bat this way, but if he can give the Marlins 65 percent of what he has been doing, he will turn into a key piece in Miami's lineup moving forward.
For now, the Marlins are simply riding the wave of a hitter who locked in right when they needed him most.
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