Leo Bernal answers a “back in the swing” question for the Estrellas Orientales with a grand slam

Leo Bernal made the case that his power is still there, delivering a grand slam in the first inning Monday as the Estrellas Orientales defeated the Gigantes del Cibao 6-3.

According to MLB’s account of the game, Bernal turned on a 2-2 pitch from former Padres minor league right-hander Jackson Goddard, sending it over the right-field wall to extend the early advantage.

The release places Bernal’s performance in the context of an active Dominican stint, noting he is tied for fourth in the league with 12 RBIs and has hit his fourth home run of the offseason.

MLB also frames Bernal’s path to this moment: after a September promotion, he drove in 21 runs across 24 big-league games, and in the majors he posted a.284/.333/.474 slash with five homers and three doubles.

Defensively and development-wise, the Cardinals’ prospect work included time behind the plate and at first base, with the report saying he started 15 of 20 appearances at catcher and made four additional starts at first.

In Triple-A, the team’s pipeline recap described a career-best season including an.831 OPS, 16 home runs, and 77 RBIs, along with a roughly 27.4% caught-stealing rate.