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Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. will make his MLB debut on Sunday as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting catcher in their series finale against the San Diego Padres.
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Under the circumstances, Alfonzo would be excused for having a hard time focusing on baseball.
La periodista @maryorinmendez reportó el hallazgo de la esposa y la hija de Eliezer Alfonzo, ambas lamentablemente sin vida.
Desde aquí enviamos nuestras más sinceras condolencias y un abrazo solidario a toda la familia Alfonzo en este momento de inmenso dolor. Mucha fuerza.…
– Georgeny Pérez (@GeorgenyPerez) July 5, 2026
Reports out of Venezuela indicate that Alfonzo’s sister and stepmother were found dead over the weekend, victims of a hotel that collapsed during a pair of devastating earthquakes near La Guaira, Venezuela.
They are two among thousands who have died since the magnitude-7 earthquakes rattled the country on June 24.
Alfonzo’s father, the former major league catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Sr., is in Venezuela assisting in rescue efforts.
| El exgrandeliga Eliezer Alfonzo continúa buscando a su esposa y a su hija, quienes se encontraban en el Hotel Eduard’s al momento de los terremotos, según informó la periodista Maryorin Méndez
Destacó que, nueve días después de la tragedia, los equipos de rescate lograron… pic.twitter.com/OFF2m42PSX
– El Cooperante (@El_Cooperante) July 4, 2026
Neither Eliána Alfonzo nor her mother, Patricia, had been found when the catcher was promoted from Triple-A on Saturday.
The Dodgers signed Alfonzo to a minor league contract after he reached Triple-A for the first time in 2025. A switch-hitter, Alfonzo went 7-for-32 (.219) in eight games with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers’ top farm team, to end the 2025 season.
Alfonzo spent eight seasons in the Tigers’ farm system after he signed out of Venezuela as an amateur free agent.
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In his first spring training with the Dodgers, Alfonzo went 9-for-36 (.250) with three doubles in 15 Cactus League games. Alfonzo was slashing .313/.392/.422 in 49 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City when his contract was selected prior to Saturday’s game against the Padres.
Alfonzo’s pathway to major league playing time was paved when Will Smith was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup on June 6 due to neck inflammation. Initially Smith was expected to miss only one game, but he will have spent a month on the injured list as of Monday.
With Dalton Rushing taking over the everyday starter’s duties, the Dodgers promoted veteran backup Chuckie Robinson from Oklahoma City last month.
Robinson, 31, went 2-for-23 as the backup to Rushing. Alfonzo’s promotion could be a reflection of Smith’s prognosis as much as his own ability.
The Dodgers ostensibly saw enough from Alfonzo to feel comfortable with his bat and his glove behind the plate for a week or longer. Robinson was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday.
Alfonzo is batting ninth and catching Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan as the Dodgers look to sweep the four-game series from their National League West rivals.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as Dodgers Rookie’s Family Found Dead Ahead of MLB Debut.
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