Diamondbacks Sign Former Cardinals Reliever

The Diamondbacks add some potential electricity.

Jul 11, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Junior Fernandez (44) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed right-handed relief pitcher Junior Fernandez to a minor league contract, according to their transaction logs. Fernandez has also received an invitation to big league Spring Training.

More on the D-backs' Spring Roster: Diamondbacks Reveal 72-player Spring Training Roster

Fernandez, 28, spent nearly all of his four major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, but most recently pitched in the minor leagues for the Kansas City Royals' Triple-A club in the 2025 season. He owns a career 5.17 ERA in the major leagues and a 3.98 across numerous minor league clubs.

Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Junior Fernandez

Aug 28, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Junior Fernandez (44) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Fernandez was initially signed as a free agent by the Cardinals all the way back in 2014. Fernandez went on to work his way up St. Louis' farm system over the course of the next six seasons, eventually making his MLB debut in 2019.

He appeared in 13 games that season, pitching to a 5.40 ERA in the process. In 2020 and 2021, he pitched just 23.2 total MLB innings, and did not display much in terms of results.

The 2022 season was his most recent in the majors. Fernandez began the year with the Cardinals, but was designated for assignment in September and was claimed by the Pirates.

Since then, Fernandez has bounced around the minor leagues, spending time with the Blue Jays, Nationals, Royals and Mets in 2023 and 2025. He tried his hand in Japan in 2024, but spent most of that season recovering from clavicle surgery, and only appeared for his NPB club's minor league team.

Fernandez's stuff, however, is of the high-octane variety. His sinker (which comes with extreme arm-side movement) and four-seam fastball both climb into the upper 90s. He also features a hard slider and changeup.

The swing-and-miss has not translated at the MLB level, but he did punch out 11.93 batters per nine innings over 43 Triple-A frames in 2025. Of course, that also came with a high volume of walks, as he issued 5.65 free passes per nine.

Fernandez is the latest addition in what has become a trend for the D-backs this offseason: adding high-ceiling minor league arms with an emphasis on stuff and velocity. Fernandez may or may not see any major league action this season, but he'll provide minor league electricity, at the very least.

Related Content: Diamondbacks Sign Former Nationals Pitcher

Arizona has signed a plethora of minor league arms this offseason, including the likes of Jonathan Loáisiga and Derek Law, who could both easily see themselves as major league options with the D-backs' bullpen in its current banged-up state.