Iglesias fought back tears as he tried to find the words to describe his friend.
"We all can learn from it," Iglesias said. "There's nothing we can do at this time besides learning and be grateful to have known him. Such a great guy and such a competitor and my friend also."
Iglesias was scratched from Sunday's lineup. No official explanation was given, but it is believed he was given time to grieve.
Tigers third baseman Casey McGehee spent time with the Marlins in 2014 and '15. He, too, fought back tears while describing what Fernandez meant to him and his family.