Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Sent outright to Triple-A
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The Mets outrighted Fujinami to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Fujinami is making $3.35 million in 2024, so it's not surprising that he passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment. He'll remain at Syracuse, where he holds an 10.95 ERA and 14:25 K:BB over 12.1 frames this season.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Pushed off 40-man roster
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The Mets activated Fujinami (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Friday and designated him for assignment.
Fujinami's tenure with the Mets will end before it began. The reliever was sent down to the minors after a rough spring training and missed more than a month of action with a shoulder strain. Fujinami had been on a rehab assignment for the past month and appears healthy now, but the Mets have elected to move him off the 40-man roster rather than opening up a spot for him in the big-league bullpen.
Fujinami (shoulder) was sent Tuesday to the Mets' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate to begin a rehab assignment.
Fujinami has been out all season with a right shoulder strain but is finally ready for game action. He will require a lengthy rehab assignment which will eventually involve him moving up to higher affiliates. Fujinami isn't expected to return from the 60-day injured list until the second half.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Shifted to 60-day IL
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The Mets transferred Fujinami (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Joe Hudson, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. Fujinami has been out all season with a right shoulder strain and is expected to remain out until after the All-Star break.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Set to miss 6-to-8 more weeks
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Fujinami, who was placed on the 15-day injured list May 13 with a right shoulder strain, is expected to be sidelined for six-to-eight more weeks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Fujinami was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after struggling in spring training. Those struggles continued across his nine minor-league games, as he registered a 14.09 ERA and 3.33 WHIP across 7.2 innings before landing on the IL. The good news for Fujinami is that he isn't expected to need surgery, but the 30-year-old right-hander will be out of action until mid-to-late July.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Recalled, placed on 15-day IL
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The Mets recalled Fujinami from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday and placed him on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain.
Fujinami hadn't pitched for Syracuse since May 3 due to the injury. He had yet to make his 2024 debut for the Mets, but he was likely recalled and placed on the 15-day IL in the event New York needs to move him to the 60-day IL down the road to open up a 40-man roster spot.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Sent to minors
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The Mets optioned Fujinami to minor-league camp Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Fujinami joined the Mets on a one-year, $3.35 million deal back on Feb. 2 after spending 2023 with the Athletics and Orioles. He struggled in spring training, allowing five earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out five over 3.2 innings. Fujinami will likely start the 2024 season in the minors and look to work his way into the Mets' bullpen.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Control deserts him Friday
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Fujinami gave up three runs on three walks, a hit by pitch and three wild pitches without recording an out in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.
There's no sugar-coating this one. Fujinami threw only eight of 22 pitches for strikes to begin the eighth inning, and his wild display came mainly against prospects and fringe major leaguers, with Victor Robles being the biggest name he faced. The 29-year-old right-hander carries a 13.50 ERA and 3:4 K:BB through 2.2 spring innings, and while his big fastball keeps earning him chances in MLB, he's on his third organization in two seasons and a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen is by no means assured.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Debut pushed back to Thursday
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Fujinami's (personal) Grapefruit League debut will now take place Thursday versus the Nationals after Wednesday's game against the Astros was rained out, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Fujinami is healthy but faced a delay to his spring training while tending to a family matter in his native Japan. He will still have plenty of time to get ramped up ahead of Opening Day.
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Mets' Shintaro Fujinami: Heading to Queens
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Fujinami agreed to a one-year, $3.35 million contract with the Mets on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
The Japanese right-hander made his MLB debut with Oakland as a starter last season but was moved to the bullpen after posting a 14.26 ERA in the rotation. Fujinami pitched better as a reliever and was dealt to Baltimore in July, though his 4.85 ERA for his new club still wasn't pretty. He has plenty of strikeout potential with a 98-plus-mph fastball, but his 9.5 K/9 was underwhelming while his 5.1 BB/9 illustrated his control issues.
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Orioles' Shintaro Fujinami: Picks up second save
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Fujinami struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Angels.
Fujinami has maintained scoreless outings in 13 of his 20 appearances with the Orioles, though they haven't all been as crisp as Tuesday's nine-pitch inning. The save was his second of the year, and he's added a hold in his time with Baltimore to get to four holds on the year. The right-hander is at a 7.42 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 77:39 K:BB through 70.1 innings overall, but he's been noticeably better with the Orioles, pitching to a 4.71 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 21 innings since he was dealt from the Athletics.
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Orioles' Shintaro Fujinami: Collects first save
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Fujinami struck out one without putting a runner on base in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning win over the Mariners.
Fujinami uncorked a wild pitch in the outing, but it was his lone mistake. The right-hander has showed some talent since he was traded from Oakland, but he's also allowed seven runs (six earned) with a 12:8 K:BB over 10.1 innings across his 10 appearances in that span. Overall, he's posted a 7.99 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 63:38 K:BB with a save, four holds and a 5-8 record over 59.2 innings across 44 outings (seven starts) this year. Until he can display better command, Fujinami is likely to see only sporadic late-inning assignments in a bullpen as strong as Baltimore's.
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Orioles' Shintaro Fujinami: Activated by Baltimore
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Fujinami was activated by the Orioles on Friday.
Fujinami will officially join Baltimore's bullpen after being acquired via trade from the Athletics on Wednesday. The right-hander has produced an impressive 1.64 ERA and 0.64 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over 11 innings in his last nine appearances dating back to June 28.
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Athletics' Shintaro Fujinami: Expected to be dealt
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Fujinami is expected to be traded, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Fujinami's destination is not yet known. The 29-year-old was a disaster in the Athletics' rotation earlier this season but has found a home in the bullpen, particularly of late with a 1.64 ERA and 12:0 K:BB over his last 11 innings. Fujinami seems likely to fill a middle-relief role wherever he lands.
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Athletics' Shintaro Fujinami: Working as opener again
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Fujinami will serve as the opener for the Athletics on Saturday against the Blue Jays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Fujinami worked as the opener June 13 and will get another chance in the role Saturday. He's likely to cover only an inning before Hogan Harris takes over to pitch the bulk of the remaining frames. After a disastrous start to the season, Fujinami has allowed only one earned run across his last 6.2 innings, though that has come with a 7:6 K:BB.
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Athletics' Shintaro Fujinami: Operating as opener
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Fujinami will operate as an opener for the Athletics on Tuesday versus the Rays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Fujinami will get the ball first Tuesday ahead of Hogan Harris, who's expected to be the primary pitcher for Oakland's second contest of its series with Tampa Bay. Fujinami has rattled off three straight scoreless appearances out of the bullpen, allowing one run while walking five batters and striking two over three innings. He'll look to keep up his recent success as the Athletics attempt to extend their six-game win streak.
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Athletics' Shintaro Fujinami: Grabs third win Saturday
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Fujinami (3-6) got the extra-inning win against the Brewers on Saturday, allowing a walk and recording a strikeout during a scoreless ninth inning.
The frequently embattled right-hander got through his one frame on an efficient 15 pitches, nine of which found the strike zone. Outings like Saturday's are quietly becoming more of the norm for Fujinami, who may finally be finding his stride against MLB hitters following a successful career in Japan. The towering 29-year-old has now allowed one or no earned runs in five of the last six appearances, a six-inning span during which his 4.50 ERA represents a monumental improvement over the 12.69 figure he went into that stretch with. He's also notably been called upon in higher-leverage scenarios in each of his last two outings and responded by allowing one unearned run on a hit and three walks over 2.2 scoreless frames.
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Athletics' Shintaro Fujinami: Takes loss as opener
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Fujinami (2-6) took the loss as the opener against the Marlins on Friday, allowing two earned runs on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.
The oft-embattled right-hander was unable to escape his one frame unscathed, qualifying for the loss after surrendering a two-run home run to Jesus Sanchez that would have been enough for the Marlins against the punchless Athletics. On the bright side, Fujinami did refrain from issuing a walk for his fourth straight appearance, but the long ball was the second he's allowed in his last 2.1 innings. The 29-year-old figures to continue being deployed in low-leverage scenarios for the foreseeable future.
Fujinami fired 2.1 scoreless, hitless relief innings during which he allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees.
The nearly perfect multi-inning outing qualifies as one of Fujinami's most encouraging stints on the mound during his brief time in an Athletics uniform. The offseason acquisition has struggled considerably with control, yet he recorded his seven outs on an economical 35 pitches while facing a dangerous lineup Wednesday. Fujinami's 12.52 ERA and 2.04 WHIP are stark reminders of how far he has to go in completely righting the ship, but he should continue to receive regular opportunities to do so in low-leverage situations.
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Athletics' Shintaro Fujinami: Struggles in relief Friday
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Fujinami allowed two earned runs on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch across one inning of relief in Friday's loss to the Reds. He struck out one.
Following a solid two-inning relief debut Wednesday against the Angels, Fujinami turned in an outing reminiscent of the ones that earned him a demotion from the starting rotation. The Japanese rookie got just 18 of his 36 pitches into the strike zone during his time on the mound and allowed runs on a pair of singles and a wild pitch. Fujinami projects to continue seeing low-leverage opportunities until he's able to put together a sustained stretch of efficient pitching.
