Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Yoan López Leyva was born January 2, 1993 in Nueva Gerona, Cuba. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

López played three seasons for the Isla de la Juventud in the Cuban National Series. He defected from Cuba in 2014 to pursue a career in MLB. In his final season in Cuba, he had a 3.12 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. He received interest from numerous teams, including the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres before signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks promoted him to the major leagues on September 3, 2016. 

He made 10 relief appearances for the D-backs in his first Major League season, posting a 3.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts and a 0.89 WHIP. He made his Major League debut on Sept. 9 vs. Braves. He registered 9 straight scoreless outings to end the season. In 45 relief appearances at Double-A Jackson, he was 2-6 with 12 saves, a 2.92 ERA, .174 opponent average, 1.04 WHIP and 87 strikeouts. Lopez ranked among Southern League relievers in opponent average (1st, .174) and strikeouts per 9.0 IP and fewest baserunners per 9.0 innings.

On May 22, 2021, López was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Deivi Estrada and was assigned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. In 32 appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett, López went 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA and 35 strikeouts. On November 22, López was designated for assignment by the Braves.

On November 29, 2021, Lopez was claimed off of waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies.