"The Rockies are designating former top outfield prospect Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. Between the Fernandez DFA and this morning's trade of right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli to the Yankees (in exchange for non-roster first baseman T.J. Rumfield), Colorado has cleared two spots on its previously full 40-man roster. Fernandez just turned 23 on New Year's Day but has exhausted two of his three minor league option years. He made his major league debut with the Rox this past season but hit just .225/.265/.348 with a 30% strikeout rate in 147 trips to the batter's box."
"Fernandez has struggled in parts of two Triple-A seasons as well, hitting a combined .259/.320/.437 through 409 plate appearances despite very hitter-friendly environments. In the 2023-24 offseason, Fernandez landed on the back end of top-100 lists at Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus. At the time, he was coming off a .265/.313/.486 showing with 25 home runs in 521 plate appearances across three levels, topping out as a 20-year-old in Double-A."
"Given that power output and his youth relative to the competition he was facing at the time, Fernandez was seen as a potential power-over-hit corner outfielder with a plus-plus throwing arm. A future as an everyday right fielder seemed attainable, but his aggressive approach and lack of plate discipline have hindered the final stages of his offensive development. Between Jordan Beck, Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak and trade acquisition Jake McCarthy, the Rockies didn't necessarily have immediate playing time for Fernandez. However, he still has a minor league option remaining and all four of those outfield alternatives have some questions about their health and/or recent performance, making it at least a mild surprise to see Fernandez jettisoned from the 40-man roster."
The Rockies designated Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment and cleared two spots on a previously full 40-man roster after trading Angel Chivilli. Fernandez turned 23 and has used two of three minor league option years. He made his major league debut but hit .225/.265/.348 with a 30% strikeout rate in 147 plate appearances. He also struggled in parts of two Triple-A seasons, hitting .259/.320/.437 across 409 plate appearances. Fernandez entered the 2023-24 offseason as a back-end top-100 prospect after showing 25 homers in 521 plate appearances, but an aggressive approach and poor plate discipline have stalled his development. The Rockies have other outfield options and will have five days to trade him before placing him on waivers, though he retains one minor league option.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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