He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

On December 20, 2016, it was announced that team did not make a contract offer[9] and next day he became free agent in NPB.

[10] In 2017, Despaigne played a key role[clarification needed] in Granma's win of the Cuban National Series.

[14] In 2019, Despaigne finished the regular season in 130 games with a batting average of .259, 36 home runs and a RBI of 88.

[21] He returned to Japan on June 9, spent the prescribed quarantine period, and joined the team on August 1.

[22][23] In the match against the Chiba Lotte Marines on August 21, he recorded his first home run since the opening game.

[25] He finished the regular season with a .264 batting average, 10 home runs, and 41 RBI in 80 games, and re-signed with the Hawks at an estimated salary of 270 million yen.

[36] Despaigne posted an impressive season in 2007, afterwards earning a key role on Cuba's National Team.

[42] He was named the Best Hitter at the 2007 World Port Tournament, and was also a part of the Cuban team which won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

[citation needed] Despaigne won with his national team the gold medal of the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.