JULY 20, 2023 • BALTIMORESUN.COM
Orioles acquire right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami from Athletics for minor leaguer The Orioles on Wednesday acquired right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Triple-A left-hander Ea...
O's deal for A's reliever Fujinami (source) On the same day they moved into a share of first place in the AL East, the Orioles made their first move ahead of the Trade Deadline, acquir...
JULY 19, 2023 • MLB.COM
Dealt to Baltimore The Athletics traded Fujinami to the Orioles on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Impact Fujinami's statline remains significantly inflated from his disastrous run as a starter this season. However, he boasts a 2.77 ERA and 0.85 WHIP alongside a 13:0 K:BB across 13 innings since June 20. Fujinami will most likely serve in middle relief as part of the Orioles' bullpen.
JULY 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Expected to be traded Fujinama is expected to be traded, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Impact Fujinama's destination is not yet known. The 29-year-old was a disaster in the Athletics' rotation earlier this season but has found a home in the bullpen, particularly of late with a 1.64 ERA and 12:0 K:BB over his last 11 innings. Fujinama seems likely to fill a middle relief role wherever he lands.
JULY 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Takes eighth loss Friday Fujinami (5-8) took the loss Friday against the Twins, allowing two earned runs on two hits over 1.2 innings. He struck out three.
Impact Fujinami fired 20 of his 27 pitches for strikes, but the two-run home run he surrendered to Joey Gallo in the ninth inning snapped a 3-3 tie and ultimately saddled the right-hander with the loss. Fujinami saw a six-appearance scoreless streak snapped in the process, but despite the stumble, he's been much more of a fantasy asset since moving to the bullpen in late April following a mostly disastrous stay in the rotation over the first month of the campaign.
JULY 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Stays hot with fifth win Fujinami (5-7) got the extra-inning win over the Tigers on Tuesday, striking out the side in a perfect ninth frame.
Impact Fujinami threw was arguably his sharpest inning of the season, firing nine of his 12 pitches for strikes while recording swinging punchouts of Jake Rogers, Zach McKinstry and Miguel Cabrera. The right-hander now has four consecutive scoreless appearances -- including three straight hitless efforts -- and hasn't walked a batter across the seven innings spanning his last six appearances, his longest stretch by far without issuing a free pass. With a recent body of work that includes a 3-1 record, 2.19 ERA and 10.2 K/9 across his last 11 appearances, Fujinami appears to be increasingly earning the trust of manager Mark Kotsay in higher-leverage scenarios.
JULY 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Secures fourth win Fujinami (4-7) got the extra-inning win over the White Sox on Saturday, firing a scoreless 10th frame during which he recorded two strikeouts and hit a batter.
Impact His plunking of Remillard with two outs aside, it was a momentous 13-pitch outing for Fujinami overall. Not only did he secure his fourth win, but he recorded swinging strikeouts of Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Benintendi along the way, posted a third consecutive scoreless appearance and was trusted in a high-leverage scenario with positive results. The big right-hander continues to find life as a reliever much more welcoming than as a member of the rotation, and he now carries a 2-1 record, 2.38 ERA and one hold over the 11. innings covering his last 10 appearances.
JULY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Bounces back with scoreless effort Fujinami fired two scoreless relief innings in a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing three hits while recording two strikeouts.
Impact Although he got only 18 of his 30 pitches into the strike zone, Fujinami's scoreless effort represented a welcome resurgence from a rough showing Saturday when he'd allowed two earned runs on four hits over just two-thirds of an inning while taking his seventh loss. The Nippon Professional Baseball import has been appreciably steadier as a reliever than he was as a member of the rotation, with Fujinami now owning a 2-2 record and a serviceable 4.26 ERA in the 12.2 innings covering his last 12 appearances.
JUNE 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Takes loss as opener Saturday Fujinami (3-7) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Saturday, allowing two earned runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning. He did not issue a walk or record a strikeout.
Impact Fujinami got the call as an opener but couldn't extend a recent stretch of encouraging performances, giving up a single and double to George Springer and Bo Bichette, respectively, to start the game and subsequently surrendering runs on a Josh Bell sacrifice fly and Matt Champman single. Prior to Saturday's stumble, Fujinami had pitched to a 2-1 record, 3.60 ERA and 9.0 K/9 across the 10 innings covering his previous 10 appearances. However, his 5.4 BB/9 and 1.8 HR/9 in that same sample -- not to mention his troubles Saturday -- serve as reminders of why the one-time NPB star is likely to remain relegated to low-leverage work for the foreseeable future.
JUNE 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Working as opener again Fujinami will serve as the opener for the Athletics on Saturday against the Blue Jays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Fujinami worked as the opener June 13 and will get another chance in the role Saturday. He's likely to cover only an inning before Hogan Harris takes over to pitch the bulk of the remaining frames. After a disastrous start to the season, Fujinami has allowed only one earned run across his last 6.2 innings, though that has come with a 7:6 K:BB.
JUNE 24, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Operating as opener Fujinami will operate as an opener for the Athletics on Tuesday versus the Rays, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Fujinami will get the ball first Tuesday ahead of Hogan Harris, who's expected to be the primary pitcher for Oakland's second contest of their series with Tampa Bay. Fujinami has rattled off three straight scoreless appearances out of the bullpen, allowing one while walking five batters and striking two over three innings. He'll look to keep up his recent success as the Athletics attempt to extend their six-game win streak.
JUNE 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Grabs third win Saturday Fujinami (3-6) got the extra-inning win against the Brewers on Saturday, allowing a walk and recording a strikeout during a scoreless ninth inning.
Impact The frequently embattled right-hander got through his one frame on an efficient 15 pitches, nine which found the strike zone. Outings like Saturday's are very quietly becoming more of the norm for Fujinami, who many finally be finding his stride against MLB hitters following a successful career in Japan. The towering 29-year-old has now allowed one or zero earned runs in five of the last six appearances, a six-inning span during which his 4.50 ERA represents a monumental improvement over the 12.69 figure he went into that stretch with. He's also notably been called upon in higher-leverage scenarios in each of his last two outings and has responded by allowing one unearned run on a hit and three walks over 2.2 scoreless frames.
JUNE 11, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Takes loss as opener Fujinami (2-6) took the loss as the opener against the Marlins on Friday, allowing two earned runs on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.
Impact The oft-embattled right-hander was unable to escape his one frame unscathed, qualifying for the loss after surrendering a two-run home run to Jesus Sanchez that would have been enough for the Marlins against the punchless Athletics. On the bright side, Fujinami did refrain from issuing a walk for his fourth straight appearance, but the long ball was the second he's allowed in his last 2.1 frames. The 29-year-old figures to continue being deployed in very low-leverage scenarios for the foreseeable future.
JUNE 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Serving as opener Friday Fujinami will serve as the Athletics' opener Friday against the Marlins, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Impact Fujinami's first season in the majors has certainly been rough, as he holds a 12.00 ERA and 1.97 WHIP through 30 innings. However, he's seen an uptick in performance recently, allowing one run on one hit over 2.1 frames. Fujinami will likely stay in Friday's game for an inning or two before turning things over to Hogan Harris, who will take on most of the workload.
JUNE 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Noted Oakland A's pitcher gains confidence, but his role isn't changing MLB: Shintaro Fujinami earned his second MLB win Tuesday as the Oakland A’s clinched a series victory over the Atlanta Braves
MAY 31, 2023 • MERCURYNEWS.COM
Gets second win Tuesday Fujinami (2-5) got the win against Atlanta on Tuesday, retiring the only batter he faced on a foul pop-up.
Impact Fujinami, who's experienced a mostly nightmarish start to his MLB career after a largely successful multi-season stint in Japan, fittingly got the victory in a game in which the Athletics established only their second two-game win streak of the season. The starter-turned-reliever has his own modest stretch of success going at present, as he's allowed just an earned run on one hit over the 2.1 innings covering his last three appearances, a sample in which he hasn't walked a batter after issuing 24 free passes over his first 27.2 frames.
MAY 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Takes loss in relief Wednesday Fujinami (1-5) took the loss against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing two earned runs on a hit and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.
Impact Fujinami's nightmarish debut MLB campaign took another dark turn with Wednesday's performance, which saw him concede multiple earned runs for the second straight appearance and fifth time overall across nine relief outings. The former NPB hurler put three of the first four batters he faced to open the ninth on base -- one via intentional walk -- before exiting, and he then saw Adrian Martinez allow two of them to come across via a sacrifice fly and single, respectively. Fujinami's ERA and WHIP ballooned to 12.62 and 2.14, respectively, with Wednesday's outing, and it's certainly fair to wonder how much longer he can be kept around at the big-league level in any capacity, even on a non-contending team.
MAY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Encouraging relief appearance Fujinami fired 2.1 scoreless, hitless relief innings during which he allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees.
Impact The nearly perfect multi-inning outing qualifies as one of Fujinami's most encouraging stints on the mound during his brief time in an Athletics uniform. The offseason acquisition has struggled considerably with control, yet he recorded his seven outs on an economical 35 pitches while facing a dangerous lineup. Fujinami's 12.52 ERA and 2.04 WHIP are stark reminders of how far he has to go in completely righting his ship, but he should continue to receive regular opportunities to do so in low-leverage situations.
MAY 11, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Struggles continue in bullpen Fujinami allowed three earned runs on four hits over 1.1 innings of relief in a loss to the Royals on Sunday.
Impact The demoted starter also surrendered three earned runs on three walks over just one-third of an inning during the series opener on Friday night, making it a forgettable weekend for the offseason acquisition from Japan. Control has typically been Fujinami's undoing -- he's carrying an 8.3 BB/9 across 20.2 innings despite not allowing a walk in two of his last three appearances -- and he therefore appears destined to pitching in fantasy-irrelevant spots during games for the foreseeable future.
MAY 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Struggles in relief Friday Fujinami allowed two earned runs on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch across one inning of relief in Friday's loss to the Reds. He struck out one.
Impact Following a solid two-inning relief debut Wednesday against the Angels, Fujinami turned in an outing reminiscent of the ones that earned him a demotion from the starting rotation. The Japanese import got just 18 of his 36 pitches into the strike zone during a laborious frame and allowed runs on a pair of singles and a wild pitch. Fujinami projects to continue seeing low-leverage opportunities until he's able to put together a sustained stretch of efficient pitching.
APRIL 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Shifting to relief role Fujinami will be used out of the bullpen until further notice, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Fujinami has struggled as a starter through the first few weeks of the 2023 campaign, accruing a 14.40 ERA and 2.07 WHIP with a 12:12 K:BB across 15 frames. "We're going to put him in the pen and try to use him in a leverage role where we could watch him throw strikes and get his fastball command back," said manager Mark Kotsay, per Gallegos. "Not to say he can't return into the rotation, but in the short term, we're going to assess him in that direction."
APRIL 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
A's move Japanese rookie Fujinami to bullpen
Oakland Athletics rookie pitcher Shintaro Fujinami is being moved to the bullpen after struggling in his first four major league startsAPRIL 25, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Continues to struggle Fujinami (0-4) took the loss Saturday, allowing eight runs on seven hits and three walks over 2.1 innings against Texas. He struck out two.
Impact Fujinami has gotten off to a brutal start this season, posting a 14.40 ERA and 2.07 WHIP over four appearances. The rookie has plenty of time to right the ship, but he cannot be trusted in fantasy until he strings together some quality starts. The right-hander is tentatively slated to face the Angels on the road in his next appearance.
APRIL 23, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
A's to 'evaluate' options after Fujinami's latest rough start ARLINGTON -- Shintaro Fujinami didn’t have to say much when summing up his start on Saturday. “It was a bad day for me,” Fujinami said. It w...
APRIL 23, 2023 • MLB.COM
MLB mailbag: Gerrit Cole's Cy Young chances, teams that need to worry early
Can Yankees ace Gerrit Cole win his first Cy Young award? Which presumed MLB contenders should be concerned? Jake Mintz tackles those topics...APRIL 18, 2023
