Infielder Jonathan Ornelas has played in 22 of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders’ first 32 games this season. Whenever he has been called upon, he has been ready. He has hit safely in 13 of those 22 games, including six multi-hit games. He is batting .339 (21 for 62) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 RBIs and 15 runs.
During last week’s series against the Buffalo Bisons, he came up clutch in the game April 30. His RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning tied the game, 2-2, and
his single in the bottom of the 10th won it, 5-4.
Defensively, he has played 12 games at second base, six at third base and four at shortstop. He has committed one error (throwing) in 73 chances with 26 putouts, 46 assists and five double plays. “I just try to take it day by day whether I’m in the lineup or not in the lineup,” Ornelas said. “(Manager) Shelley (Duncan) likes to put guys in even when they’re not playing, so I know I have to come to the field ready because I could be going in in the seventh or eighth inning whether it’s to pinch-run or hit or play defense, whatever the case may be. Overall, I just know that whatever my role is, I have to be prepared every single day.”
Ornelas was drafted in the third round in 2018 by the Texas Rangers. He worked his way up through the organization and made his major league debut August 7th, 2023, at Oakland. With the score tied at three, he entered the game as a pinch-runner in the top of the eighth inning for Mitch Garver and wound up scoring the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice by Travis Jankowski. The Rangers won, 5-3.
“It was a nice debut,” he said. “But the first week and a half, two weeks I was up there, I didn’t get an at-bat.”
He was sent back down to Triple-A Round Rock, but called up a few weeks later. This time he did get his first major league at-bat. It was against the A’s again in Arlington, Texas, on Sept, 9, 2023. With the bases loaded and the score tied, 2-2, in the bottom of the seventh, he was sent up to pinch-hit for Jankowski.
“It was a big situation and the A’s brought a lefty in from the pen,” Ornelas said. “The good thing about it was the guy on the mound, I had faced him before, so I had some familiarity. It wasn’t like, Wow, all these things being thrown at me at once. I got to 0-2 really fast, then the guy threw a breaking ball in the dirt, got past the catcher and the tying run scored. That’s when I was relieved of all the pressure and I ended up having a good at-bat and having a good swing.”
Coincidentally, he flew out to the warning track in right field and the ball was caught by current RailRiders teammate Seth Brown.
After going 0-fer in his first five at-bats, Ornelas finally got his first major league hit Sept. 15, 2023, at Cleveland. It was a single to left field in the ninth inning off Eli Morgan in a 12-3 loss.
“It was really good to get my first hit out of the way like that in a game like that,” Ornelas said. “I was able to feel a little more comfortable. My emotions weren’t super high or super tense. But we ended up losing the game. So, yeah, I was happy, but in the big leagues it’s all about winning. It was cool to have this moment for myself, but I wanted to be part of the team and help them win as much as I could.”
In 2024, he played 18 games in the majors and 88 games at Triple-A. He started last season at Round Rock, then was traded to the Atlanta Braves on May 24. He played 85 games with Triple-A Gwinnett and appeared in two games with the Braves in August.
“It was a lot to process,” Ornelas said. “I felt like I was with the Rangers for such a long time, that’s all I knew. I completely forgot that a process like being traded and being with another team kind of existed. But it ended up being a good experience for me. I was able to figure myself out. It was a difficult year for me overall last year, but it was good that I went through the things I went through because it made me better overall.”
Although his major league career has only consisted of 32 games, Ornelas enjoyed every moment of it.
“It was a surreal moment in the beginning, definitely tried to soak it all in as much as I could,” he said. “It was difficult because I still had to try to go out there and perform. But it was everything everybody had told me about and more. It exceeded all expectations. I loved it. I loved every bit of my time with the Rangers and with the Braves. I’m excited to keep on the journey and get back to the big leagues soon.”
The Yankees signed Ornelas as a free agent in November. In his short time with the organization, he believes he is getting the development that he needs.
“I feel like that was a big thing coming over here,” Ornelas said. “Where I struggled last year and years prior is kind of where the Yankees excel. It was good fit for me. I think I’ve gotten a lot better in a lot of those areas. A main one was getting the ball off the ground. The exit velocity and stuff like that is there. I hit the ball hard, but on the ground. So I think I’ve been able to improve in those areas and the guys here have helped me a ton in all those aspects.”
A good spring training has carried over into the start of the season. Ornelas likes the chemistry that the RailRiders have. Even though his name may not be on the lineup card every day, he knows he has to be ready when his name is called.
“Whenever I get my opportunity to play, I just have to go out and do my thing,” Ornelas said. “Not think about it too much. Just realize that other things are going on around me and just take care of the things I can control and everything else will be all right.”
After being home at PNC Field for two weeks, the RailRiders (18-14) are on the road this week in Worcester against the Red Sox.
Here are some highlights:
The RailRiders won eight of 12 games, going 4-2 against both Rochester and Buffalo.
Spencer Jones, in the Buffalo series, batted .400 (10 for 25) in six games with five home runs, 11 RBIs and five runs. Jones leads the International League with 37 RBIs and is tied for second with 10 home runs. Eight of Jones’ home runs have been solo, the other two grand slams.
Oswaldo Cabrera batted 9 for 16 (.563) with four doubles and two RBIs in five games against Buffalo.
Reliever Zach Messinger went 1-0, not allowing a run or a hit in two games covering 5.1 innings against Buffalo with three walks and two strikeouts. Fellow reliever Yovanny Cruz also had a win and didn’t give up a run in two games covering 3.2 innings with two hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Cruz (4-0) is tied for third in the IL in wins and has one save, a 0.69 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 13 innings.
Top prospect George Lombard Jr. finished his first week in Triple-A going 5 for 17 (.235) with four runs, three walks and five strikeouts.
