In preparation for the trade deadline, New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made a flurry of roster moves a couple of days ago in order to gain some roster flexibility. One of the players involved in the moves was designating a flame-throwing relief pitcher.
It appeared that the flamethrower would be pitching elsewhere for the remainder of the campaign, but he ended up passing through waivers.
The Mets have retained Shintaro Fujinami
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, relief pitcher Shintaro Fujinami went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
After struggling in his first season in MLB after spending the prior nine pitching in the NPB, the Mets took a chance on the 30-year-old, signing him to a one-year deal worth $3.35 million this past offseason. However, Fujinami has also struggled during his first year in the New York Mets organization.
The flamethrower began the season on an optional assignment before dealing with a shoulder strain and struggling during his rehab assignment. Across four levels of the minor leagues, Fujinami pitched 16.1 innings across 18 appearances, one of which was a start, to an 8.27 ERA with a 2.020 WHIP while walking 25 batters and striking out 20.
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What does this mean for the Mets?
Fujinami’s large-cap hit, combined with his struggles in the minor leagues this season, makes it unsurprising that the 30-year-old went unclaimed on waivers.
Before being designated for assignment, Fujinami had a couple of promising appearances before a final blow-up in his last appearance, which featured four walks and two earned runs in just 0.2 of an inning.
Now, the blue and orange will have to hope that the Japanese native can turn things around and become at least an option for the bullpen in the stretch run. In all likelihood, Fujinami will remain in the minor leagues for the remainder of the campaign before pitching elsewhere in 2025.
