Orioles Acquire Pitcher Shintaro Fujinami to Bolster Bullpen for Potential Postseason Run
BALTIMORE — In their quest for a deep postseason run, the Baltimore Orioles have taken a significant step towards bolstering their pitching staff. On Wednesday, they announced the acquisition of pitcher Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics.
Fujinami, 29, comes to the Orioles as an MLB rookie after playing 10 seasons for the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He signed with the A’s this past offseason and initially began the year in their starting rotation.
However, Fujinami struggled early in the season, going 0-4 with a 14.40 ERA over his first four starts. As a result, Oakland decided to move him to the bullpen.
Since then, Fujinami has shown improvement as he gains more MLB experience. Since the beginning of June, he boasts an impressive 3.26 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings over 17 appearances. He has been particularly strong in July, recording a 2.25 ERA in seven appearances.
Fujinami’s key weapon is his four-seam fastball, which averages an impressive 98 mph and has reached speeds as high as 102.1 mph, according to Statcast. He also relies on his splitter and cutter, occasionally mixing in breaking pitches.
This acquisition makes Fujinami the second Japanese-born player in Orioles history, joining right-hander Koji Uehara, who played in Baltimore from 2009-2011.
The Orioles have been in need of more high-leverage relievers to bridge the gap between their starters and their standout bullpen duo of setup man Yennier Cano and closer Félix Bautista. On nights when those two right-handers have been unavailable, the team has struggled to find reliable options.
At 6-foot-6, Fujinami is expected to fit in well alongside other key middle relievers such as left-hander Danny Coulombe and righty Mike Baumann. However, the Orioles may not be done making moves, as they could still use another solid arm or two to further strengthen their push for their first postseason berth since 2016.
To make room for Fujinami on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated infielder/outfielder Josh Lester for assignment. Lester, 29, had been playing for Triple-A Norfolk after a stint with Baltimore from June 3-24.
In addition to the Fujinami acquisition, the Orioles made another notable trade earlier this year. In January, they acquired left-hander Cole Irvin from the A’s in exchange for shortstop prospect Darell Hernaiz.
With these recent moves, the Orioles are actively working to assemble a formidable roster as they aim to make a deep playoff run. Fans and analysts will be keeping a close eye on how Fujinami and the rest of the pitching staff perform in the upcoming weeks.