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Cardinals add top-10 prospect Fernandez to bullpen mix, send 2 to minors

Junior Fernandez has climbed from High-A all the way to the majors in 2019. MLB.com ranked him the Cardinals No. 10 prospect entering the season.

The Cardinals have called up 22-year-old Junior Fernandez, adding a rising prospect to their bullpen.

Fernandez was ranked as the Cardinals No. 10 prospect by MLB.com heading into the season and has shown why in his time between three minor league levels this year.

Fernandez is a 6-foot-2 right-hander with a fastball that reaches 99 mph as well as a change-up and slider. This arsenal has helped him climb from High-A Palm Beach all the way to the Big Leagues in 2019.

In his 42 games split between High-A Palm Beach, Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, Fernandez has 11 saves and a 1.47 ERA in 61.1 innings.

The Cardinals designated Adalberto Mejía for assignment and sent Mike Mayers to Memphis to make room for Fernandez.

The Cardinals claimed Mejía off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels last week despite his 7.32 ERA. He allowed three runs in two appearances that spanned three innings.

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Mayers has struggled through an injury-plagued season in 2019. In 12 games this season, Mayers has a 7.24 ERA in 13.2 innings.

The Cardinals have the second-best bullpen ERA in the National League at 3.83.

The Cardinals will be looking for a bounce-back game Tuesday after starting their west coast road trip 0-3. On Monday they lost to the NL-best Dodgers 8-0.

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