Sandy León


Sandy David León Lopez is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. He previously played for the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.

Professional career

Washington Nationals

León signed with the Washington Nationals on January 17, 2007, and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Nationals later that year. He spent two years in the Gulf Coast League before splitting the 2009 season between the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York–Penn League and the South Atlantic League's Hagerstown Suns. León returned to the Suns for the 2010 season and was promoted to the Potomac Nationals in 2011. He spent time with the Auburn Doubledays, Harrisburg Senators, and Syracuse Chiefs in 2012 before his first major league callup.
León was called up to the majors for the first time on May 13, 2012. He made his Major League debut on May 14, 2012. In the fourth inning of his debut, León sprained his right ankle in a collision with San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley at home plate.

Boston Red Sox

León was traded to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations on March 30, 2015. He was designated for assignment on July 21, and on July 30 he was sent down to the Pawtucket Red Sox. He was re-added to the major league roster on September 1. León appeared in 41 games with Boston during the season, batting.184 with no home runs and three RBIs.
León started the 2016 season in the minors, but was promoted to Boston on June 5, when Ryan Hanigan and Blake Swihart went on the disabled list. He finished his MLB season with a.310 batting average in 78 games, with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.
León appeared in 85 games with the Red Sox in 2017, batting.225 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs.
In 2018, León split time at catcher with Christian Vázquez, appearing in 89 games while batting.177 with five home runs and 22 RBIs. The Red Sox finished the year with a 108–54 record and went on to win the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with León batting 3-for-6 in the series.
In 2019, León was placed on waivers on March 24, and the Red Sox sent him outright to Triple-A Pawtucket on March 26. He accepted his assignment, rather than electing to forego his 2019 salary and become a free agent. León had his contract selected on April 16, when Blake Swihart was designated for assignment. León was placed on the paternity list on May 17, then activated on May 20, following the birth of a daughter. With the 2019 Red Sox, León appeared in 65 games while batting.192 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.

Cleveland Indians

On December 2, 2019, León was traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Adenys Bautista.

Personal life

León and his wife have a son born in 2017, and a daughter born in May 2019. León is a Christian.