The Yankees are outrighting Yanquiel Fernandez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the team announced. The outfielder was designated for assignment last week, shortly after the team claimed him off waivers from the Rockies. Fernandez will be in MLB Spring Training with New York.
New York was able to get the former top prospect through waivers, allowing the club to retain him as depth. With Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger back, it’s a crowded position for the Yankees. The plethora of veteran outfielders could leave Jasson Dominguez without a roster spot. Triple-A standout Spencer Jones is also on the verge of contributing in the majors. It’s a lengthy list for Fernandez to leapfrog, but he has the pedigree to make an impact if everything breaks his way.
The 23-year-old Fernandez was one of the organization’s brightest stars heading into last season. He ranked third on MLB.com’s list of Colorado’s top prospects. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had the outfielder at fifth coming into the year. Fernandez has seemed to hit a roadblock at the upper levels, though. He’s slashed a mediocre .259/.320/.437 in 97 games at Triple-A the past two years. A .757 OPS is far from a failure, but the stat line did come at the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Fernandez got his first look in the big leagues this past year, and it went poorly. He delivered a 55 wRC+ across 147 plate appearances. Fernandez’s strikeout rate pushed 30% with the Rockies. The one positive for the outfielder was getting to show off his absolute cannon of an arm. Fernandez averaged an absurd 97.2 mph on his throws from right field, which ranked in the 100th percentile. He was a slightly negative defender by Outs Above Average, but the arm strength was apparent.
Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images
