Royals' Freddy Fermin: Drives in two in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Fermin went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Marlins.
The Royals' offense was stuck in neutral until the eighth inning, but Fermin capped a five-run outburst with a two-run single. The 29-year-old had been on the bench the prior three games with Michael Massey serving as the DH in his return from a lower-back strain, which kept Salvador Perez behind the plate. But playing time should open up for Fermin again once Massey is ready to resume defensive duties at second base. On the season, Fermin is slashing .294/.340/.434 with four homers, 18 RBI and 21 runs in 48 contests.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Fermin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.
Fermin is on the bench for the second day in a row, but his playing time could be on the upswing nonetheless while he's produced a .271/.314/.500 slash line through the first three and a half weeks of June. In addition to filling in at catcher on days that top backstop Salvador Perez gets days off behind the dish, Fermin will factor into the equation at designated hitter, where he had made two of his last three starts.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Slugs two homers Thursday
Rotowire
Fermin went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in a 3-2 win over Oakland on Thursday.
Fermin accounted for both Royals runs against Oakland starter Mitch Spence, belting a solo shot in each of the second and fourth frames. The backstop had just two homers across 138 plate appearances coming into the contest, though he flashed some power by going deep nine times over 235 plate appearances last year. Fermin has swung a solid stick with a .303/.352/.447 slash line this season, and he's being rewarded with increased opportunities. Over Kansas City's past five games, Fermin has started four times (three times at catcher and once at DH).
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Playing time picking up
Rotowire
Fermin will start at catcher and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Yankees.
Fermin remains the Royals' No. 2 catcher, but he's been playing more than the typical backup of late due to Kansas City's willingness to deploy top backstop Salvador Perez at first base or designated hitter on his non-catching days. With Perez serving as the Royals' DH for Thursday's day game, Fermin will pick up his fourth start in five games. Fermin is hitting .298 with two home runs, 17 runs and 13 RBI over 122 plate appearances on the season, and his recent surge in playing time could be enough to make him a viable option in AL-only leagues or mixed leagues that start two catchers.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Homers off bench
Rotowire
Fermin hit a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-1 loss to the Yankees.
Fermin's blast in the eighth inning was the lone bright spot for the Royals in the blowout loss. The catcher has hit safely in his last seven games, going 7-for-20 (.350) with four RBI in that span. He doesn't see a lot of playing time, but with Salvador Perez getting more games at designated hitter or first base, there's been room for Fermin to play more often, especially versus southpaws. For the season, Fermin is slashing .300/.347/.409 with two homers, 13 RBI, 17 runs scored and six doubles over 118 plate appearances.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Working behind plate Wednesday
Rotowire
Fermin will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
He'll be rewarded with his third start in four games after going 4-for-7 with a walk, an RBI and two runs between his previous two turns behind the plate. The Royals will likely continue to make room for Fermin in the lineup when the team opposes left-handed pitching, but his opportunities against right-handers will likely remain more limited while top backstop Salvador Perez is healthy.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Workload picking up
Rotowire
Fermin will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Fermin will be behind the dish for the fifth time in seven games while Salvador Perez gets a day off from catching and serves as the Royals' designated hitter. Nelson Velazquez has served as the Royals' primary DH all season, but he's been occupying more of a part-time role of late as manager Matt Quartaro has look to make room in the lineup for Fermin, who has gone 5-for-18 with a solo home run and three walks over his last six games.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Delivers first homer of 2024
Rotowire
Fermin went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during Monday's 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
Fermin started behind the dish due to Salvador Perez getting the day off. Fermin notched his second multi-hit game of the campaign and his eighth-inning solo home run off Erik Swanson marked Fermin's 10th career long ball. In 47 plate appearances, Fermin is slashing .227/.277/.318 and is striking out at a 10.6 percent clip.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: Scores run in win
Rotowire
Fermin went 2-for-3 with one double and one run in Sunday's win against the White Sox.
Fermin has totaled 15 at-bats with two runs and three hits over five games played as the main backup to starting catcher Salvador Perez. The 28-year-old hasn't built upon his solid .782 OPS from the 2023 campaign, as Fermin has just a .467 OPS through the small sample this year.
Royals' Freddy Fermin: Projected as backup catcher
Rotowire
Fermin is projected to be the Royals' backup catcher to begin 2024, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The Royals recently signed Austin Nola, but he's viewed as an experienced depth option. Fermin has gone 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout over two Cactus League games. With Salvador Perez in the latter half of his career, it wouldn't be surprising to see Fermin shoulder more of the workload behind the dish, which could see Perez take more games at first base or designated hitter.
