Blue Jays released right-handed people Julian Fernandezfollow him transaction tracking at MLB.com.
Fernández, 27, signed a minor league contract with the Jays over the winter. He’s pitching for Triple-A Buffalo so far this year, hitting nine and a half innings in seven relief field appearances. Unfortunately, he signed up for a miserable 10.61 ERA at the time. Incredibly, he hit just 9.8% of hitters faced after hitting a hit rate of 24.9% in last year’s Triple-A.
The right-hander has little major tournament experience, throwing six 2/3 innings for the Rockies in 2021. He didn’t come out well in that brief performance but had a quick ball. at an average speed of 99 mph. He spent 2022 in Triple-A with the Rockies, tossing 57 plays with a 6.63 ERA in the player-friendly Pacific Coast League.
He lost his 40-man spot in the middle of that 2022 campaign and qualified as a free agent at the end of the season. The Jays attacked him, no doubt hoping to help him get the most out of his powerful arm, though they now appear to have given up.
Fernandez will now be free to pursue opportunities with any club. His results aren’t in this year but he has attracted a lot of interest in the past, having previously been summed up by the Giants and the Marlins in a Rule 5 draft.
