OA agree with the reliever Nick Hernandez to a minor league contract, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. The righty is celebrating his 31st birthday with a new destination after opting for free agency earlier in the season. A’s are also added Brooks Kriske to a minor league deal earlier this month, according to the MLB.com transaction log.
Hernandez is a native of the Houston area who played his college football with the Cougars. He was drafted by his hometown club in the eighth round in 2016 and spent seven seasons with the organization. He pitched to Triple-A and was eligible for major league free agency in the 2022-23 offseason. Hernandez signed a minor league deal with the Padres and broke the majors at the end of the ’23 campaign. San Diego traded him back to the Astros the following year.
Over the past two seasons, Hernandez has appeared in 15 MLB games. He scored 13 runs in 18 2/3 innings. He posted consecutive sub-3.00 ERA showings in Triple-A. That includes a 2.12 mark after a career-best 33.7% strikeout rate over 46 2/3 minor league innings this year. The Astros never really considered him at the big league level, however, because of his average speed.
Hernandez averages 91 MPH on his fastball. He also has a low 80s slider and splitter. Hernandez has missed a lot of at-bats in the minors but lacks the precise control needed to succeed with below-average speed. He walked nearly 12% of Triple-A opponents for the second year in a row. Hernandez has given up eight home runs in 21 2/3 MLB innings, compounding the damage of giving away so many free passes. Houston designated him for assignment on the final weekend of the season and waived him after he did not request a waiver.
Kriske, 32 in February, split the 2025 season between the Cubs and Twins. He pitched 18 innings of 7.50 ERA ball. Kriske walked 15 of 88 batters he faced and issued free passes at a nearly 17% clip over 39 2/3 innings. Like Hernandez, he missed a large number of at-bats in Triple-A. Kriske has struck out over 34% of opponents while leaning heavily on a 93-94 MPH fastball and low-80s splits. He has been in the strike zone at Triple-A this year but has had below-average command throughout his career, an issue that has resurfaced in his MLB career. He was released by Minnesota in September and became eligible for major league free agency at the end of the year.
The A’s entered the offseason with almost no experienced arms in their bullpen. Add them Mark Leiter Jr. on a cheap major league contract while stockpiling undrafted depth on minor league deals Joel Kuhnel, Nick Anderson, Go Suero, Matt Krook, Geoff Hartlieb again Ben Bowden. Kriske and Hernandez joined the mix to earn invitations to major league camp. Sutter Health Park is a tough place to pitch but the lack of established relievers on the roster makes the A’s a solid landing spot for deep arms trying to impress in Spring Training.
