The 2026 MLB season marked a memorable day for Cuban baseball this Tuesday, as Yohandy Morales and Lázaro Montes joined the list of players from the Island who have debuted with a home run in the MLB.
Montes, a prospect for the Seattle Mariners, made his debut with a walk, hit a single to right field in his second at-bat, and then hit a solo home run to center field in the fifth inning of his first game in the majors, against Boston reliever Christopher Olds, with Seattle leading 9-1 over the Red Sox.
The home run was his second hit and his first in the Major Leagues, a way of debuting that few players achieve in their first game.
Montes arrived in MLB after a season of 38 home runs and 96 RBIs in 123 games between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, numbers that positioned him as one of the top power hitters in the minor leagues.
The Mariners selected him from Triple-A Tacoma with the September rosters expansion.
On his part, the Cuban-American Yohandy Morales also made his debut with a home run as his first hit in Major League Baseball this Tuesday with the Washington Nationals.
Yohandy “Yoyo” Morales has baseball in his blood. Born in Miami in 2001, he is the son of former Cuban player Andy Morales, one of the standout names in Cuban baseball during the 1990s. Andy, a third baseman for the national team and the Habana team, starred in one of the most memorable moments of the series between Cuba and the Baltimore Orioles in 1999, when he hit a decisive home run in the ninth inning.
After leaving Cuba in late 2000, he continued his career in the United States and eventually signed with the New York Yankees, while his son grew up in Miami following in his footsteps. Today, the father was seen from the stands cheering him on.
Yohandy later excelled at the University of Miami and, in 2023, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the second round of the draft, with the 40th pick.
Both debuts occur in a season that has historically been prolific for Cuban baseball players. Cuba reached a record of 29 active players in Major League Baseball during 2026, an unprecedented number, and seven Cubans were selected for the All-Star Game this year.
Among the most notable of the season are Miguel Vargas, who hit 24 home runs at the beginning of August, and Yandy Díaz, who recorded his 1,000th hit with the Rays in July.
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