St. Louis Cardinals spring training Solano signed as an international
free agent with the
St. Louis Cardinals in January 2005 after performing well at a workout attended by then-Cardinals scouting director
Jeff Luhnow. He advanced as high as
Triple-A, playing for the
Memphis Redbirds in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He became a
free agent on November 2, 2011. Solano started his first MLB game on May 26. He went 2-for-4 against the
San Francisco Giants with two hits and a
run batted in (RBI). After the Marlins traded away infielders
Hanley Ramírez and
Omar Infante, in July, Solano competed with Murphy and
Greg Dobbs for playing time at
third base, as
Emilio Bonifacio took over
second base . After Bonifacio injured his knee, Solano took over second while Murphy, Dobbs, and
Gil Velazquez competed to be the starting third baseman. Solano finished the season
batting .295/.342/.375 in 285 at bats with two home runs, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 28 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases. The Marlins placed Solano on the
disabled list on May 7, 2013, retroactive to May 4, with a strained left intercostal muscle. He returned and played in 102 games, batting .249/.305/.316. He was named the Marlins' Defensive Player of the Year by
Wilson after playing primarily second base. In 2014, he appeared in 111 games for the Marlins, batting .252/.300/.323. In 2015, his last year with Miami, he appeared in only 55 games, splitting time between shortstop, third base, and second base, with a dismal .189 batting average. He spent the 2016 season with the Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, with whom he was a postseason All-Star after batting .319 (eighth in the
International League)/.349/.436 with 33 doubles (tied for third in the league), 7 home runs, 7 sacrifice flies (leading the league), and 67 RBI (tied for fourth) in 546 plate appearances. The Yankees promoted him on September 18, following an injury to
Starlin Castro. In 23 plate appearances, he hit .227/.261/.455. The Yankees outrighted him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the regular season. Solano spent the 2017 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .282/.329/.391 with 44 runs, 29 doubles (tied for 9th in the league), four home runs, and 48 RBI in 405 plate appearances. Following the season, he played for
Tigres del Licey of the
Dominican Winter League, hitting .371/.400/.468 in 62 at bats. A hamstring injury cost him playing time.
San Francisco Giants On December 18, 2018, Solano signed a minor league contract with the
San Francisco Giants. He started the 2019 season with the Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats, batting .322/.392/.437 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 24 games. The Giants selected his contract on May 7, his first time in MLB since the end of the 2016 season. With the Giants in 2019, he batted .330/.360/.456 with 27 runs, four home runs, and 23 RBIs in 215 at-bats. He hit line drives on 33.9 percent of batted balls, the highest of any MLB batter with at least 60 plate appearances. He also hit .402 on the road, the first time a batter topped .400 since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004. On December 2, he and the Giants agreed to a one-year, $1.375 million contract, avoiding arbitration.Solano had a breakout year in the
shortened 2020 season. After making an out in his only at bat on Opening Day, he had a career-high 17-game hitting streak, batting .439 from July 25 to August 15. On September 1, Solano had a career-high 6 RBIs in a 23–5 blowout win over the
Colorado Rockies. He ended the 2020 season batting a career-high .326 (5th in the NL)/.365/.463, with a career-high 15 doubles (fourth), three home runs, 29 RBIs, and three sacrifice flies (seventh) in 54 games in the 60-game season. However, his 11 errors were the second-most in baseball, behind
Rafael Devers. He won the
Silver Slugger Award for
National League second basemen. Solano signed a $3.25 million contract on February 18, 2021. He became a free agent on November 3. He started the season on the injured list and received a
platelet-rich plasma injection to address lingering pain in his left hamstring in April. He was placed on the 60-day injured list on May 23. He made his first appearance for the Reds on June 22. Solano appeared in 80 games for Cincinnati, slashing .284/.339/.385 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI.
Minnesota Twins Solano signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the
Minnesota Twins on February 23, 2023. In 134 games for Minnesota, he batted .282/.369/.391 with five home runs and a career-high 38 RBI as the Twins won
American League Central. In his return to the postseason, he batted 1-for-10 with 3 walks. Solano became a free agent on November 2. In 12 games for the Triple-A
El Paso Chihuahuas, he hit .318/.392/.455 with 1 home run and 8 RBI. On May 5, the Padres added Solano to their major league roster. Solano started his time with the Padres primarily playing third base with
Manny Machado limited due to his recovery from an elbow surgery at the end of the previous season. He played first base on September 25 as the Padres clinched a postseason berth with a triple play against the Dodgers, making the game's final putout. Solano hit a career high 8 home runs in the regular season, batting .286/.343/.417 in 96 games as the Padres advanced to the
National League Division Series before their elimination by the Dodgers. Solano again struggled in the playoffs, batting 1-for-14. He hit two home runs at
Wrigley Field on June 22. In 69 games for Seattle, he batted .252/.295/.344 with three home runs and 21 RBI. The Mariners released him on September 1.
Texas Rangers On September 9, 2025, Solano signed a minor league contract with the
Texas Rangers. In 10 games for the Triple-A
Round Rock Express, he hit .212/.308/.303 with two RBI. On September 26, the Rangers selected Solano's contract, adding him to their active roster. He played in two games for Texas, batting 0-for-3. ==International career==