Yanquiel

Fernandez

The 23-year-old outfielder passed through waivers unclaimed and will remain with the Yankees. He’ll stay in big league camp as a non-roster invitee where he’ll get to showcase his power against Grapefruit League competition.

The 23-year-old slugger was just claimed off of waivers from the Rockies on Wednesday, but the Bombers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Max Schuemann and unfortunately Fernandez finds himself in roster limbo once again. It seems likely that another team would be willing to take a chance on him on waivers once again.

There’s no room in the Yankees outfield for Fernandez, with both Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez not even getting at-bats; however, this is a good claim for the Yankees. Fernandez is just 23 years old and hit .284/.347/.502 with 13 home runs and just a 14 percent strikeout rate in 64 games at Triple-A Albuquerque in 2025. He also posted a 46 percent pull rate, which should play for a left-handed hitter in Yankee Stadium.

The Rockies had room on the 40-man roster, so this is a bit surprising. Fernandez is just 23 years old and hit .284/.347/.502 with 13 home runs and just a 14 percent strikeout rate in 64 games at Triple-A Albuquerque in 2025. That success didn’t carry over in his 147 MLB plate appearances, but it was his first crack at the big leagues. There might be something more going on here, but if not, he will certainly get claimed on waivers.

No word yet on the reason for the move. It’ll be Yanquiel Fernández taking over in right field with Warming Bernabel at DH in this one.

Freeman should be ready to return in a couple days, if not sooner. It’ll be rookie Yanquiel Fernández taking over in right field on Sunday in his absence.

Fernández has been on the bench for both games against lefties since he arrived in the majors, and his five starts have seen him twice be hit for by Kyle Farmer with a lefty on the mound. That would all make sense if he were playing for a contender and major league ready aside from being able to hit lefties, but Fernández is 22, clearly not a finished product and playing for one of the worst teams of all-time. He needs to be allowed to try to improve against lefties, whether it’s in Triple-A or in the majors.

There’s zero incentive for the Rockies to push things with just a handful of games left before the All-Star break. It’ll be rookie Yanquiel Fernández taking over in right field on Sunday in his place. Freeman has been one of the few bright spots of late in an otherwise dismal year for Colorado, emerging as a decent option for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues over the last few weeks, hitting .392 (38-for-97) with one homer and nine steals over his last 30 games. He’s presumably day-to-day heading into Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Fernández will make his big-league debut on Wednesday night in his second game since being promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque. The 22-year-old slugging outfielder is going to be brought along slowly by the Rockies at the highest level, which limits his fantasy appeal to deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats.

It’s undoubtedly a positive sign that Fernández has struck out only 14 percent of the time this season through 64 games at the Triple-A level, but the gap between the two leagues might be wider than ever before. The 22-year-old prospect possesses some interesting fantasy-relevant skills, but we’re anticipating a bit of an adjustment period as he acclimates to everyday life in the majors. He’s a name fantasy managers should monitor closely, but his immediate appeal is strictly limited to deeper mixed leagues.