Looking to upgrade their bullpen at the deadline, the Rangers acquired RHP Andrew Chafin from Detroit. As a corresponding move, Texas DFA’d 28-year-old righty reliever Jonathan Hernández, who was claimed today off waivers by Seattle.
Hernández has been with the Rangers for his entire career, debuting with Texas in 2019. Hernández’s biggest issue has been with walks, as he’s run a double-digit walk rate each of the past three seasons. A sinker-slider pitcher who will occasionally mix in a changeup, Hernández’s slider has enormous swing-and-miss potential, running a near-40% Whiff rate. Hernández’s second-most-used pitch is his two-seamer, which has plus velocity, averaging almost 97 mph, but has been absolutely tattooed by big-league hitters this year as a result of poor location and running behind in counts.