Ryan

Fernandez

Fernandez was called upon for the 10th inning after the Cardinals’ regular closer JoJo Romero entered this game in the eighth inning to face the top of the order and only retired one of the three batters he faced. Fernandez was able to slam the door shut after the Cardinals opened up a two-run lead in the top of the inning, but don’t expect him to siphon off any saves in this bullpen.

Fernandez got the call to join the Cardinals’ bullpen mix ahead of Friday’s game against the Padres. He’ll operate in middle relief moving forward.

The 26-year-old hurler was a key cog in the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2024 but struggled to a cringe-inducing 11.42 ERA, 2.31 WHIP and a 7/5 K/BB ratio over 8 2/3 innings in his first 11 appearances this season. He’ll see if he can work through his issues at the Triple-A level before returning to the Cardinals’ bullpen. Riley O’Brien was recalled in a corresponding move.

Fernandez is expected to operate in a high-leverage role for the Cardinals, but the 26-year-old will need to get healthy first. The right-hander should be considered day-to-day for now.

It was a non-save situation, but it was another solid performance for Hernandez. He’s allowed runs in just one of his performances thus far in September, and he’s fanned 12 batters over his 7 1/3 innings in the month. His fantasy value is limited to holds leagues at this stage, but Fernandez just might have the stuff to be a closer someday.

Fernandez got the call to protect a two-run lead in the final frame, after primary stopper Ryan Helsley picked up a save earlier in the day when Tuesday’s suspended contest resumed, and wound up narrowly escaping with the victory intact. The 25-year-old Rule 5 selection has absolutely held his own this season in his big-league debut.

Fernandez had a 4.14 ERA in 54 1/3 innings as a minor league reliever last season, though he went from 1.77 in Double-A to 6.16 in Triple-A. The Cardinals will have him compete for a bullpen spot, but he’d seem to be one of the longer shots to stick of the 10 players selected in the major league portion of today’s draft.