The Blue Jays have released right-hander Julian Fernández, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com.
Fernández, 27, signed a minor league deal with the Jays in the winter. He has been pitching for Triple-A Buffalo so far this year, tossing 9 1/3 innings over seven relief appearances. Unfortunately, he registered a miserable 10.61 ERA in that time. Shockingly, he struck out just 9.8% of batters faced after posting a 24.9% strikeout rate in Triple-A last year.
The right-hander has a small amount of major league experience, throwing 6 2/3 innings for the Rockies in 2021. He didn’t get good results in that brief showing but did have a fastball that averaged 99 mph. He spent 2022 in Triple-A with the Rockies, tossing 57 innings with a 6.63 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
He had lost his 40-man roster spot in the middle of that 2022 campaign and qualified for free agency at season’s end. The Jays took a shot on him, undoubtedly hoping to help him get the most of his powerful arm, though they’ve now seemingly given up.
Fernandez will now be free to pursue opportunities with any club. His results weren’t there this year but he’s garnered plenty of interest in the past, having previously been nabbed by the Giants and Marlins in the Rule 5 draft.
