Royals sign pitcher Junior Fernández to a minor league deal

The right-hander has a big fastball, but missed most of last year.

The Royals announced they have signed right-handed pitcher Junior Fernández to a minor league deal. The 27-year-old pitched parts of four seasons with the Cardinals and Pirates from 2019-2022, appearing in 50 games with an ERA of 5.17 ERA in 54 innings.

Fernández was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Cardinals and made his MLB debut in 2019. He was placed on waivers in 2022 and ended the season on the Pirates. He spent 2023 in the minors with both the Blue Jays and Nationals before heading overseas to Japan to join Chiba Lotte. But he was diagnosed with right distal clavicle lysis and required surgery, taking him out of action for virtually the entire season.

Fernández has a big sinking fastball that clocks in at 98 mph but has never produced big strikeout numbers at the pro level. He also throws a slider, change-up, and four-seamer, and has a 50 percent groundball rate.