Dairon Blanco (baseball)

Dairon Blanco LaMadrid (born April 26, 1993) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Career
Blanco began his professional career in the Cuban National Series, playing for the Ganaderos de Camaguey, Industriales de La Habana, and the Alazanes de Granma from 2012 through 2016. He defected from Cuba to the United States in May 2016.

Oakland Athletics
Blanco signed with the Oakland Athletics on April 2, 2018. He spent the 2018 season with the Stockton Ports, hitting .291/.342/.406/.748 with 1 home run, 37 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. He opened the 2019 season with the Midland RockHounds, hitting .276/.342/.468/.811 with 7 home runs, 44 RBI, and 27 stolen bases.

Kansas City Royals
On July 27, 2019, Blanco and Ismael Aquino were traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Jake Diekman. He finished the 2019 season with the Double–A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, hitting .230/.282/.302 with 5 RBI and 6 stolen bases. Blanco did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blanco split the 2021 season between Northwest Arkansas and the Triple–A Omaha Storm Chasers, hitting a combined .277/.350/.441 with 14 home runs, 53 RBI, and 41 stolen bases.

On May 19, 2022, Kansas City selected Blanco's contract to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement. He made his MLB debut on May 20, recording his first career hit. He appeared in 5 games for Kansas City, going 2-for-7 in 7 plate appearances. On June 3, 2022, Blanco was designated for assignment by the Royals. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Omaha on June 7. He spent the remainder of the year in Omaha, hitting .301/.367/.486 with 14 home runs, 61 RBI, and 45 stolen bases across 107 games.

Blanco was assigned to Triple–A Omaha to begin the 2023 season. In 49 games, he batted a stellar .347/.444/.451 with 3 home runs, 19 RBI, and a career–high 47 stolen bases. On June 12, 2023, Blanco was selected to the major–league roster.