Shintaro Fujinami Fantasy Stats

Free-agent right-hander Shintaro Fujinami signed a one-year, $3.35 million deal with the New York Mets on Friday that includes $850,000 in incentives. The Japanese hurler was a bust in his first year in the big leagues in 2023 after signing with the Oakland Athletics and was quickly banished to the bullpen after posting a 14.26 ERA in seven starts. The 29-year-old was eventually traded to the Baltimore Orioles and fared better in relief there, going 2-0 with a 4.85 ERA (4.13 FIP), 1.21 WHIP, two saves, 15 walks and 32 strikeouts in 29 2/3 frames. Fujinami consistently sits in the upper-90s with his fastball, but he struck out only 83 hitters in 79 total innings in his first taste of the majors last year and walked an alarming 5.1 batters per nine innings. The Mets will look to fix his control issues, and if they can, he could be a decent bullpen piece with strikeout upside.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Shintaro Fujinami picked up his second save of the season on Tuesday, closing out the 5-4 10-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels. The 29-year-old went one inning, allowing no baserunners and striking out a pair. Fujinami has had a rough first season in the Majors, sporting a 7.42 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with a 24.3% strikeout across 54 games, including seven starts. The Orioles are without Felix Bautista (elbow), possibly for the rest of the season, but the cub has Yennier Cano to fill in as closer. Fantasy managers can leave Fujinami on the waiver wire with the lack of production in all areas.

Baltimore Orioles right-handed pitcher Shintaro Fujinami picked up his first major league save on Sunday in a 5-3 extra-innings win over the Seattle Mariners. Fujinami tossed a perfect frame while punching out one. Fujinami has been pitching better since being acquired from the Oakland A's, but he still holds a 5.23 ERA in Baltimore and has an ugly 7.99 ERA on the season as a whole. He has good stuff, but his command has held him back (5.8 BB/9). The 29-year-old rookie has no fantasy value as this save was a result of Felix Bautista needing rest and the game going to extra innings.

The Baltimore Orioles are acquiring rookie right-hander Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. It's unknown what the Orioles sent to the A's in return. In his first year in the big leagues, the 29-year-old Japanese right-hander didn't last long as a starter for the A's and was quickly moved to the bullpen. He's made seven starts, but three of those were as an opener, and he has a hideous 8.57 ERA (4.94 FIP), 1.66 WHIP, 30 walks and 51 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings over 34 appearances. Fujinami has been much better since June, though, posting a 3.26 ERA, six walks and 20 K's in 19 1/3 innings. It's unclear if the O's have plans to return him to a starting role eventually, but he's likely to work in middle relief initially. The strikeout upside is intriguing.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Shintaro Fujinami continued to struggle in an appearance out of the bullpen in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Fujinami allowed three runs on four hits while walking and striking out none in 1 1/3 innings of work. It has been a nightmare for the 29-year-old Japanese hurler in the beginning to his major-league career, as he was already demoted to the bullpen after struggling mightily in his first four starts. He now owns a cringe-inducing 13.94 ERA (6.69 FIP), 2.23 WHIP, 19 walks and 18 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings over nine outings (four starts) for Oakland. This isn't what the A's envisioned when they signed him this offseason. Fujinami will have to get the walks under control if he wants to turn things around in 2023.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Shintaro Fujinami will move to the bullpen and will be available to pitch in relief on Tuesday, according to manager Mark Kotsay. Its been a struggle for the 29-year-old Japanese pitcher in the early going in his first year in the major leagues, as he's gone 0-4 with a bloated 14.40 ERA (7.32 FIP), 2.07 WHIP, 12 walks and 12 strikeouts in 15 innings over his first four starts for the A's. Oakland's goal is to get Fujinami to throw more strikes and to get the command of his fastball back while working in a low-leverage bullpen role. Fujinami will have a shot to return to the starting rotation if he shows improvement, but there's no timetable for when that may happen.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Shintaro Fujinami struggled in Saturday's loss to the Angels. The righty struck out four batters through two innings. However, things changed in the third, with the 28-year-old surrendering eight runs before his debut ended after only 2 1/3 innings of service. That said, Fujinami has a chance to turn things around in his next start, so fantasy managers should remain optimistic and keep him in the starting lineup.

The Oakland Athletics plan to slot starting pitcher Shintaro Fujinami into the rotation every sixth or even seventh day to mirror his previous workload in Japan, per SF Chronicles' Matt Kawahara. The 28-year-old has shown both strikeout upside and command issues this spring, compiling a 4.26 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings pitched. Fantasy managers are clearly not ready to trust him, as his current average draft position is about 555.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Shintaro Fujinami looked impressive in his start in Tuesday's 11-5 loss to the Angels. Fujinami pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three and showcasing a darting split-finger fastball and 98-MPH four-seam fastball. However, he did walk three, which was one of his issues when pitching in Japan. While the 28-year-old presents an intriguing fantasy option given his hype in Japan, fantasy managers will likely want to see more from him before placing trust.