Eduarniel Núñez Bio
Eduarniel Núñez (born June 7, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He currently plays in the minor league system of the Chicago Cubs organization of Major League Baseball (MLB), after being claimed off waivers by the Cubs on June 8, 2026. Núñez has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and the Athletics, and he has spent the bulk of his career as a relief pitcher working his way through the minor league affiliates of multiple organizations.
A right-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic, Núñez signed his first professional contract as a teenager and has developed through every level of professional baseball. He is recognized for his strikeout ability and for his role in a combined no-hitter during the 2023 minor league season, and he continues to pursue a permanent place in a major league bullpen.
Early Life and Background
Eduarniel Núñez was born on June 7, 1999, in the Dominican Republic, a country with a deep tradition of producing Major League Baseball talent. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Núñez was surrounded by a baseball culture that has produced generations of big-league players, and he developed his skills in that competitive environment. The specifics of his hometown, formal education, and immediate family are not publicly documented in available sources.
From a young age, Núñez focused on pitching, working to develop the arm strength and command that have defined his professional career. His path to professional baseball followed the route taken by many Dominican players, who sign as international free agents during their teenage years and begin their careers in the Dominican Summer League before moving to affiliates based in the United States.
Path to Professional Baseball
On March 15, 2017, Núñez signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent at the age of 17. He made his professional debut that same year with the Dominican Summer League Cubs, beginning a steady climb through the Cubs’ minor league system. The opportunity to sign with a Major League organization gave Núñez a structured development path and a chance to refine his pitching in competitive leagues across the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Across his early minor league seasons, Núñez worked as a starting pitcher and later transitioned into a relief role, which became his primary position. He progressed through the rookie-level Arizona League Cubs, the Low-A Eugene Emeralds, the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, and the High-A South Bend Cubs, building experience and showcasing his ability to miss bats at every stop.
Eduarniel Núñez Career
Early Career (2017–2021)
Núñez made his professional debut in 2017 with the Dominican Summer League Cubs before moving to the Arizona League Cubs in 2018, where he made 10 starts and posted a 1-3 record with a 3.19 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 36⅔ innings. The 2019 season saw him pitch for the Low-A Eugene Emeralds, where he struggled to a 1-5 record and 6.93 ERA across 15 appearances. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Returning to action in 2021, Núñez split the year between the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the High-A South Bend Cubs. In 35 total appearances, he recorded a 1-4 record and 4.17 ERA with 50 strikeouts and five saves over 45⅓ innings, showing the relief profile that would shape the rest of his career.
Minor League Progression with the Chicago Cubs (2022–2024)
In 2022, Núñez pitched for the High-A South Bend Cubs and the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, compiling a 5-5 record and 4.53 ERA with 57 strikeouts and four saves across 41 relief appearances. The following year, he returned to South Bend and Tennessee, posting a 3-1 record and 3.11 ERA with 61 strikeouts and one save in 38 relief appearances over 46⅓ innings. On July 6, 2023, while playing for South Bend, Núñez combined with Michael Arias, Jarod Wright, and Frankie Scalzo Jr. to throw a no-hitter against the Peoria Chiefs, a memorable milestone in his development. After the season, he became a minor league free agent and re-signed with Chicago on a new minor league contract on November 8.
The 2024 campaign was Núñez’s strongest in the Cubs system. Splitting the year between Double-A Tennessee and the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, he accumulated a 9-3 record and 3.28 ERA with 64 strikeouts and five saves across 46 appearances, cementing his status as a reliable bullpen arm. He elected free agency on November 4, 2024.
San Diego Padres and Major League Debut (2025)
On November 6, 2024, Núñez signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres organization. He began 2025 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions and was promoted to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas in June, where he posted seven scoreless appearances with one win, two saves, and 11 strikeouts in 7⅓ innings. On July 1, 2025, the Padres announced that Núñez would be promoted to the major leagues for the first time to start a game in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies the following day. In four appearances for San Diego, he recorded a 3.86 ERA with two strikeouts across 4⅔ innings.
Athletics Era (2025–2026)
On July 31, 2025, Núñez was traded, along with Leo De Vries, Braden Nett, and Henry Baez, to the Athletics in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears. On August 26, 2025, Núñez recorded his first career Major League win, getting the final out of an extra-inning victory over the Detroit Tigers. In six total appearances for the Athletics, he logged a 1-0 record and 9.00 ERA with nine strikeouts across eight innings. Núñez was optioned to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators to begin the 2026 season, splitting time between Las Vegas and the Double-A Midland RockHounds, where he recorded a 1-0 record and 4.61 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13⅔ innings. On May 12, 2026, the Athletics designated him for assignment, and on May 15, 2026, they traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations.
Return to the Chicago Cubs (2026)
After appearing in five games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides and struggling to an 0-1 record and 15.75 ERA, Núñez was designated for assignment by the Orioles on June 4, 2026. On June 8, 2026, Núñez was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs, returning to the organization that originally signed him in 2017 and beginning a second stint in the Cubs system.
Driving Style and Strengths
Núñez has built his career as a strikeout-oriented relief pitcher, accumulating high strikeout totals relative to his innings at nearly every minor league level. His best results have come in shorter relief stints, where he can focus on overpowering opposing hitters, and he has shown enough command to log saves in addition to traditional middle-inning work.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Núñez’s career came on July 6, 2023, when he was part of a combined no-hitter for the South Bend Cubs against the Peoria Chiefs. He made his Major League debut on July 2, 2025, starting a doubleheader game for the Padres against the Phillies, and recorded his first career Major League win on August 26, 2025, with the Athletics against the Tigers.
Eduarniel Núñez Career Wins
Eduarniel Núñez has accumulated victories across multiple levels of professional baseball, primarily in relief roles. His verified Major League win came on August 26, 2025, while pitching for the Athletics, and he has recorded regular-season wins in the minor leagues for clubs including the Arizona League Cubs, South Bend Cubs, Tennessee Smokies, Iowa Cubs, San Antonio Missions, and Las Vegas Aviators.
Major League Highlights
Núñez’s Major League resume includes four appearances with the San Diego Padres in 2025 and six appearances with the Athletics later that same year, where he earned his lone big-league victory. Through the 2025 season, he had a 1-0 win-loss record, a 7.11 ERA, and 11 strikeouts in his Major League career.
Minor League Performances
In the minor leagues, Núñez has been a consistent contributor, with his strongest season coming in 2024, when he went 9-3 with a 3.28 ERA between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. He has also collected five saves in 2021, four in 2022, one in 2023, and five in 2024, reinforcing his identity as a power bullpen arm.
Eduarniel Núñez Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Eduarniel Núñez’s immediate family and upbringing is limited. He was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, a country known for producing elite baseball talent, and he signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2017.
Personal Life
Details about Eduarniel Núñez’s personal life, including marital status, spouse, and children, are not publicly available in verified sources. He is known to focus much of his time on his professional baseball career.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked Eduarniel Núñez’s first full year in the upper levels of professional baseball and his introduction to Major League play. He began the year in the Padres organization, working at Double-A San Antonio before a June promotion to Triple-A El Paso, where he thrived with seven scoreless appearances and 11 strikeouts in 7⅓ innings. That performance earned him his first Major League call-up on July 2, 2025, when the Padres gave him the start of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.
After being traded to the Athletics on July 31, 2025, in a package that sent Mason Miller and JP Sears to San Diego, Núñez settled into a bullpen role in Oakland and recorded his first Major League win on August 26 against the Detroit Tigers. Across his two big-league stops, he appeared in 10 games, finishing the year with a 1-0 record, a 7.11 ERA, and 11 strikeouts in regular-season Major League action.
Following the 2025 season, Núñez was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin 2026, and he later moved through the Athletics, Orioles, and back to the Cubs system via a series of transactions. He continues to work toward establishing a long-term place in a Major League bullpen.