Leo Bernal
Panamanian baseball player (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leonardo Abdiel Bernal (born February 13, 2004) is a Panamanian professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2026.
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| Leo Bernal | |
|---|---|
Bernal with the Memphis Redbirds in 2026 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 13 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: February 13, 2004 Panama City, Panama | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 2026, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2026 season) | |
| Batting average | .284 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 21 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Career
Bernal signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent in January 2021.[1] He received a $680,000 signing bonus.[2] He made his professional debut that year with the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Cardinals with whom he hit .209 with five home runs across 44 games[3]. He played 2022 and 2023 with the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals, batting .256 with seven home runs in 2022 and .265 with three home runs in 2023.[4][5]
In 2024, Bernal played with the High-A Peoria Chiefs and Double-A Springfield Cardinals. Across 110 games between both teams, he hit .262 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI.[5] After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs.[6] Bernal returned to Springfield for the 2025 season with whom he had a .247/.332/.394 slash line with 13 home runs, 70 RBI, and 13 stolen bases across 107 games. On November 18, 2025, the Cardinals added Bernal to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[7]
Bernal was optioned to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds to begin the 2026 season.[8] Across 101 games, Bernal had a .278 batting average with 16 home runs and 77 RBI.[9] On September 1, Bernal was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[10]