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The Royals have signed right-handed pitcher to a minor league deal, the team announced. He last pitched in MLB during the 2022 season. Fernndez signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent in 2014 and made his MLB debut in St. Louis five years later. Unfortunately, he was never able to establish himself in the Cardinals bullpen. Over parts of four seasons with the club, he pitched to a 5.51 ERA and 4.78 SIERA in 50 2/3 innings of mostly low-leverage work. The Cardinals designated Fernndez for a signment in 2022, and the Pirates scooped him up off of waivers. He made three scorele s appearances for Pittsburgh at the end of the year, but it wasnt enough to save him from another DFA. After a brief stint in the Yankees Aaron Loup Jersey organization that offseason, Fernndez was DFAd once again. The Blue Jays were the next team to claim him, and, as he surely came to expect, the next team to DFA him just a few weeks later. This time, however, Fernndez pa sed through waivers. The Blue Jays sent him outright to the minors, where he pitched to a 5.69 ERA and 5.92 FIP in 42 games with Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto released him before the year was up, and he spent the final weeks of the season pitching at Triple-A in the Nationals organization. His 2.79 ERA in 9 2/3 innings was more impre sive, but his matching 13.6% strikeout and walk rates were ugly. Following the 2023 campaign, Fernndez elected free agency and of NPB. Unfortunately, his career overseas was short-lived. An injury limited him to just two appearances in Japan before the Marines released him. Now entering his age-28 season, Fernndez will look to get back to the majors with the Royals. Whether or not he succeeds will likely depend on his arm health and velocity. In 2022, Fernndez was averaging close to 99 mph and regularly hitting triple digits with both his sinker and his four-seam fastball. Despite his control i sues, velocity like that is enough to make him an intriguing arm. However, his velocity was down a tick while he was pitching at Triple-A in 2023. Now, his mostly lost 2024 season makes it hard to predict what to expect from his arm in 2025. That said, the Royals presumably scouted him in the Dominican League, where hes been pitching this winter. Despite his 6.43 ERA and 16.2% walk rate in 14 innings of work, they must have liked what they saw enough to bring him on board as bullpen depth for the 2025 season. Adam Kolarek Jersey |
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