Nava is only the fourth player in MLB history to hit a grand slam in his first major league at bat and the second to do it on the first pitch.

He played baseball at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California[1] and received his psychology degree from Santa Clara University.

[7] He had a .395 batting average with a .494 on-base percentage (OBP) in his lone season with the Broncos, both tops in the West Coast Conference (WCC), and earned first-team All-WCC honors.

[4] When Nava graduated from college, he went undrafted and signed with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League.

[11] In 2009, he hit .339 at the Class A-Advanced Salem Red Sox before being called up to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, where he batted .364 with four home runs and a 25-to-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

"[4] Nava made his Major League debut with the Boston Red Sox on June 12, 2010, at Fenway Park as the starting left fielder against the Philadelphia Phillies.

He was called up to help with the team's outfield situation, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida on the disabled list (DL) and Josh Reddick optioned to the minor leagues for more playing time.

Nava became only the fourth player to have hit a grand slam in his first at-bat, joining Bill Duggleby in 1898, Jeremy Hermida in 2005, and Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006.

His second at-bat, an inning later, was also with the bases loaded, but he struck out, losing the opportunity to become the only player to hit a grand slam in his first two at bats.

He was the tenth player in Red Sox history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance with the club, the prior being Darnell McDonald on April 20, 2010, against the Texas Rangers.

Bill LeFebvre was the only other player in Red Sox history to hit a home run on the first pitch thrown to him in the big leagues, doing so June 10, 1938.

[15] He was recalled to Boston on August 2 to replace Mike Cameron, who was placed on the DL,[16] then optioned two days later to make room for Ellsbury.

[22] Nava platooned with Jonny Gomes in left field throughout the Red Sox' championship season of 2013, posting career highs in games played and all offensive categories.

On September 14, 2014, Nava hit his second career grand slam off of Kansas City Royals pitcher Aaron Crow.

During the 2019–20 winter baseball season, Nava played briefly for Algodoneros de Guasave of the Mexican Pacific League, appearing in seven games while batting .148 (4-for-27) with one RBI.

[36] He managed the Arizona Complex League Dodgers during the 2021 season and was bench coach for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2022.

From 2008 to 2010, Nava left a ticket at every minor league home game for ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews.

[41][42] Wonderful baseball coach’s story to children describing Daniel Nava’s rise to the major league from his childhood.