The Los Angeles Dodgers are calling up one of baseball’s hardest throwers.
Julian Fernandez, a flame-throwing right-hander who last pitched with the Colorado Rockies in 2021, is being promoted to the big leagues, the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported Monday.
Fernandez, 29, signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers in January. He has appeared in 24 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, going 3-0 with a 4.08 ERA while striking out 32 batters in 28.2 innings.
Julian Fernandez Features Record Fastball
Fernandez has bounced around quite a bit during his career, last reaching the majors in 2021 with Colorado. He failed to stick, allowing eight runs in 6.2 innings out of the bullpen for a 10.80 ERA.
Still, Fernandez made an impression, hitting 102.4 mph on the radar gun in a game. At the time, it was the hardest pitch in Rockies history during the Statcast Era.
Fernandez spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Triple-A, pitching for Albuquerque (Rockies) and Buffalo (Blue Jays), respectively, before spending the 2024 season with El Aguila de Veracruz of the Mexican League. In 34 appearances for Veracruz, Fernandez recorded a 1.82 ERA with 19 saves while striking out 43 in 34.2 innings.
In 285.2 career innings in the minor leagues, the 6-foot-6 Fernandez has a 4.35 ERA with 277 strikeouts compared to 144 walks. He also has 23 saves, 13 of which came in 2016 with Low-A Boise (Rockies).
Fernandez was outrighted off Colorado’s roster in 2022 and signed a minor-league deal with Toronto in 2023. After posting a 10.61 ERA in seven appearances (9.1 innings) at Triple-A, Fernandez was released.
Injuries Have Hampered Dodgers Pitching
Fernandez will try to carve out a role in the Dodgers’ bullpen, which has been taxed because of injuries. Los Angeles currently has 12 pitchers on the injured list, including former All-Stars Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell and highly touted rookie Roki Sasaki.
The Dodgers were swept in three games by the Houston Astros over the weekend, outscored 29-6. Despite that, the defending World Series champions remain atop the National League West at 56-35, 7.0 games ahead of two teams.
Los Angeles was set to open a three-game series on Monday in Milwaukee against the Brewers, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto squaring off against Freddy Peralta.
Fernandez is not on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, meaning the club will need to make a corresponding move to activate him.
Dodgers to Call Up Hard-Throwing Reliever Who Was Last in Majors in 2021