Career
Cuban career
Olivera played for the Santiago de Cuba team in the Cuban National Series from 2003 through 2014 and hit.323 with 96 home runs and 433 runs batted in for them. He missed the entire 2012-2013 season due to a blood disorder, which also limited him defensively during the 2013-2014 season. In addition, he played for the Cuba national baseball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2007 and 2009 Baseball World Cups, the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Defection from Cuba
Olivera defected from Cuba in September 2014, to pursue a career in Major League Baseball, establishing his residence in Haiti.
His potential drew many scouts to his showcase in the Dominican Republic, where he was said to be in good physical condition with a quick bat and above average power. Los Angeles Dodgers
On March 24, 2015, he agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers for six years and $62.5 million, including a $28 million signing bonus.
His contract also reportedly includes a clause that would allow the Dodgers to add on a seventh year for $1 million if Olivera requires Tommy John surgery. This clause was the result of several MRIs that showed Olivera had a minor University College London tear.
Olivera worked out at the Dodgers training facility in the Dominican Republic while waiting for his visa to travel to the United States. to be approved, which finally happened on May 11, 2015.
He passed his physical on May 19 and officially signed his contract. The physical also revealed that, contrary to previous reports, he did not need elbow surgery. The team announced that Olivera would spend several weeks at their spring training facility in Arizona before joining a minor league team
On June 3, he was assigned to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League to begin his professional baseball career.
He made his debut with the Drillers the following day and had one hit in four at-bats with two walks in a game against the Midland RockHounds. This was his first game action since the 2013-2014 Cuban season and manager Razor Shines said of him, "Foreign a guy that hasn"t played in that long, his at-bats were really good." In six games for the Drillers, Olivera batted.318 and hit a grand slam.
He was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers on June 12. His advancement was hampered by a hamstring injury on June 20.
Atlanta Braves
On July 30, 2015, in a three-team trade, the Atlanta Braves acquired Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, minor league pitcher Zachary Bird, and a competitive balance draft pick for the 2016 MLB Draft, while the Dodgers acquired Mat Latos, Michael Morse, Bronson Arroyo, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilán, and José Peraza, and the Miami Marlins acquired minor league pitchers Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham, and Kevin Guzman.
He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2015. Six days later, Olivera hit his first major league home run in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Before the 2016 Major League Baseball season began, Olivera played in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente based in Puerto Rico, where he began a transition to left field
The Braves continued starting Olivera in left field during spring training.