ST. LOUIS -- After a strong debut season in 2024, Ryan Fernandez's path to consistent Major League appearances stalled out with a tumultuous 2025 campaign.
But on Monday, Fernandez returned to the big leagues, recalled from Triple-A Memphis as the Cardinals shuffled the bullpen ahead of their series-opener 9-3 loss to the Guardians at Busch Stadium.
In a corresponding move, the Cards designated lefty Jared Shuster for assignment. Shuster, a 27-year-old journeyman, pitched on consecutive days over the weekend, throwing two-thirds of an inning on Saturday before delivering three innings (50 pitches) in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Red Sox.
The moves are, in part, intended to provide a respite for a beleaguered bullpen.
“When you look at April, you want to make sure you’re not taxing guys beyond what your comfort level is,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said pregame. “Getting a fresh arm in case [of] anything today -- he’s [had] two days down -- allows for us to use up his pitches and get a better look at the progress that he’s made.”
Aside from bolstering the bullpen, bringing Fernandez back to the Majors also gives the Cardinals a chance to evaluate him. Fernandez was a key piece of the 2024 bullpen after arriving from the Red Sox as a Rule 5 Draft selection the previous winter.
Fernandez made 62 appearances in his debut season, logging 66 2/3 innings with a 3.51 ERA. Last season, though, big league hitters adjusted to Fernandez, whose once-wipeout slider wasn’t as consistently sharp.
The right-hander didn’t stick as the leverage relief option that the team hoped to see him become as he struggled on both sides of a lengthy stint at Triple-A, posting a 7.71 ERA across 32 games of Major League action last year.
Marmol wants to see Fernandez get over the hump, making the necessary adjustment to facing Major League hitting agian.
“We can lean on the fact that he has had success at this level,” Marmol said. “You’re seeing it with [Matt] Svanson now, right? A good amount of success last year, threw some really big innings for us -- in short stints and in multiples -- and just did a really nice job.
“Then, the league becomes familiar. They make an adjustment. And then you have to readjust to them. Fern is no different.”
Fernandez has shown well in the early portion of this season, with 5 2/3 scoreless innings across six appearances with Memphis. Speaking in front of his locker in the Cardinals clubhouse Monday, Fernandez explained that he views last year’s setback as a learning experience that he can, ideally, use in his favor moving forward.
“In a sense, I’m lucky to have failed early on in my career so that I know how to deal with it,” Fernandez said. "Just gotta put it behind you.”
Fernandez believes the way to accomplish that -- and to improve his results -- is to trust the reason he came into his Major League success in the first place.
“Honestly, I think I just had gotten in my own head about -- I gave the hitters too much credit last year,” Fernandez said. “I was falling behind in counts and not giving myself enough credit.
“I think the biggest thing for me is, get ahead. Stay attacking and put the guys away when I’m ahead.”
That blueprint matches what Marmol is looking to see from Fernandez as he aims recapture that which made him a trusted relief option two years ago.
“Sometimes you have to go through it,” Marmol said. “Sometimes people don’t have to, and understand the value of getting ahead. Some people go through it and then they double down on the fact that -- that’s not a strategy that is a good long-term strategy.
“So, hopefully we learn from that and we can be on the attack.”