Not long after the coronavirus pandemic postponed the start of the baseball season, Rays top catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez returned to Colombia, looking for a way to help his home country navigate through the outbreak.

Hernandez, the team's No. 11 prospect per MLB Pipeline, began to think of ways to help the people in Sincerin, a small town in northern Colombia about 30 miles inland from Cartagena. Because Hernandez knows how much poverty there is in his hometown, he decided to buy food from a local store in order to provide food during the difficult time.

At the store, Hernandez bought essential food and packed them in bags before delivering them house-to-house with his wife. The bags included rice, pasta, sugar, oil, salt and eggs. Those bags also represented a moment of happiness for people struggling to find their next meal, especially those who have recently lost their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"I just tried to help people in my town and tried to do whatever I could," Hernandez said. "I wanted to help the people that helped me when I was growing up."

The 22-year-old spent the entire 2019 season with Class A Advanced Charlotte, hitting nine home runs in 103 games. In '18, however, Hernandez showed off his power, blasting 21 home runs with Class A Bowling Green.

Hernandez was added to the Rays' 40-man roster over the winter and enjoyed his first big league camp before being optioned to the Minors on March 8. Hernandez spent the offseason working on his body and defense, while also focusing on improving his English in order to communicate better with the pitching staff. Hernandez went on to impress during Spring Training, showing off his ability at the plate, as well as his arm, which is capable of shutting down the opposing team's running game.

The expectation is for Hernandez to be ready to contribute at the big league level at some point during the 2021 or '22 season, helping the Rays find a young catcher to solidify the position. But for now, the impact that Hernandez made in his hometown with his gesture goes far beyond the field.

"Every country is going through a really hard time," Hernandez said. "My wife and I try to do different things and help people, and I'm glad we were able to help those in need."