Junior Fernández Fantasy Stats

The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that they signed free-agent right-hander Junior Fernandez to a minor-league deal. Fernandez, a 27-year-old Dominican hurler, heads to Kansas City after making only two appearances overseas in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He has not appeared in the big leagues since the 2022 campaign, when he had a combined 2.41 ERA (5.79 FIP), a 1.61 WHIP and a 14:12 K:BB in 18 2/3 relief innings with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. In four seasons in the majors, Fernandez has only thrown 54 innings of relief and has a 5.17 ERA and 1.72 WHIP with a weak 18.7% strikeout rate and 13.9% walk rate. He will just be hoping to impress in spring training with the Royals but will most likely open the 2025 season at Triple-A Omaha.

The Toronto Blue Jays claimed right-hander Junior Fernandez off waivers from the New York Yankees on Thursday. Fernandez has had a tumultuous couple of months, spending time with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees since last September. The 25-year-old Dominican spent the 2022 season with the Cardinals and Pirates, appearing in 16 games (18 2/3 relief innings) while posting a strong 2.41 ERA (5.79 FIP), 1.61 WHIP, 14 strikeouts and 12 walks. Fernandez has a big arm but has struggled with walks in both the minors and majors. In his four big-league seasons, he has a 5.17 ERA (5.57 FIP), 1.72 WHIP and 18.7 percent strikeout rate in 50 relief appearances. Toronto is the latest team to take a chance on him for relief depth.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Junior Fernandez (shoulder), who ended last year on the 60-day injured list due to a strained shoulder, posted a video of him throwing off a mound on his Instagram account on Wednesday. Some sort of spring training would probably be helpful for Fernandez as he attempts to win a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old right-hander made 18 relief appearances for the Cards last year and allowed 13 earned runs while striking out 15 and walking 15 in 20 2/3 innings. He has a rough 6.62 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in just 35 1/3 relief outings in his three seasons in St. Louis, so he's by no means a lock to begin the year in the major leagues if he's fully healthy.