10
Loading video...
By Michael DeRosa
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
After spending the last four seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, a former Boston Red Sox pitcher is now looking to make an MLB return.
According to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier, former Red Sox pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez is hoping to sign with an MLB team during the offseason in free agency.
"Familiar name alert: Lefthander Darwinzon Hernandez, who improved his control and has excelled in NPB over the last four years (2.46 ERA, 31 percent strikeout rate, 8 percent walk rate), is looking to return to MLB. He turns 30 in December," Speier reported on Bluesky.
Read More on MLB
...
Seeing that Hernandez is eyeing an MLB return now is entirely understandable. He has pitched well in Japan, and that could very well open the door for him to generate interest from MLB clubs this offseason.
During the 2026 season with NPB's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Hernandez posted a very good 1.41 ERA to go along with 55 strikeouts. He has also had a 2.98 ERA or lower in each of his last four seasons with the Hawks, so he has been very effective with the NPB club.
With this, it would be understandable if an MLB team were willing to take a gamble on Hernandez. He would have the potential to be a solid addition to a team's bullpen if he wwere able to translate his NPB success over to the MLB level.
Hernandez last pitched in the majors during the 2022 season with the Red Sox. In seven games that season with Boston, he allowed 16 earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched. While he certainly struggled with the Red Sox that season, his NPB success could be enough for MLB teams to target him.
In 91 career MLB games over four seasons from 2019 to 2022, all with the Red Sox, Hernandez posted a 3-4 record, a 5.06 ERA, and 133 strikeouts. His best MLB season was back in 2021, as he had a 3.38 ERA in 48 games for Boston.
It will now be interesting to see if the former Red Sox pitcher can find his way back to the majors from here.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines