The Baltimore Orioles finalized a trade that placed former Red Sox pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez back on the free agency market as a corresponding move on Thursday.
Baltimore reportedly acquired pitchers Cole Irvin and Kyle Virbitsky from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for infielder Darell Hernaiz, according to Dan Connolly of The Athletic. This swap prompted the Orioles to part ways with Hernandez in order to make room on their 40-man roster before the southpaw reliever ever suited up with Baltimore.
The Orioles, if wanted, could still assign Hernandez outright to their Triple-A affiliate without simultaneously fulfilling a roster spot with the big league club.
Nearly three weeks ago, Hernandez was dealt from the Red Sox to the Orioles after Boston had also designated him for assignment for the same reason. This, of course, came as a result of Boston’s Justin Turner signing from free agency — a move that came as no surprise.
Through three seasons with the Red Sox, Hernandez struggled mightily. His career ERA stands at 5.06 and the 26-year-old pitched to an astounding 21.60 ERA through just seven appearances and 6 2/3 innings in 2022. Most noteworthy, Hernandez, who managed to show some potential through his 32.3% strikeout rate in 91 total big league contests, couldn’t keep runners off the base path. He’s walked 17.7% of opponents and notched an ERA of 33 in just three innings last August alone.
With Hernandez in an identical position he previously was to end his time tenure with the Red Sox, the Orioles have a week to either trade or try to pass the lefty through outright waivers.
