Junior Fernández


Junior Fabio Fernández is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball.

Career

Fernández signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent in July 2014.
Fernández made his professional debut that year with the Dominican Summer League Cardinals, posting an 0-5 record and a 5.79 ERA over seven games. He spent 2015 with the Gulf Coast Cardinals, going 3-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 11 games and also appeared in two games with the Palm Beach Cardinals, giving up one run over innings. Fernández started 2016 with the Peoria Chiefs and was promoted to the Palm Beach Cardinals in July. He finished the 2016 season with a combined 8-7 record and 4.06 ERA in 24 games between both clubs.
Fernández returned to Palm Beach for the 2017 season where he was named a Florida State League All-Star, posting a 5-3 record with a 3.69 ERA over 16 starts. He began 2018 back with Palm Beach and was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals during the season. He missed over two months of the season due to injury, and was placed on the disabled list twice. Over 24 relief appearances between the two teams, he went 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA.
Fernández began the 2019 season with Palm Beach. He was promoted to Springfield in May, and he earned another promotion to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in June. In the more than 65 innings he pitched between the three teams for the season, he went 3-2 with a 1.52 ERA, striking out eighty.
On August 6, 2019, the Cardinals selected Fernández's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his debut on August 11 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing two runs in of an inning. Over 13 relief appearances with St. Louis, he pitched to a 5.40 ERA.