Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Jose Miguel Fernandez was recently released from the organization, according to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers transactions page.
Fernandez received a $200,000 signing bonus upon agreeing to a Minor League contract with the Dodgers last January. That came nearly two years after he defected from Cuba in December 2015.
The 29-year-old had a productive career while playing on the island, hitting .319/.403/.423 in eight seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, their top professional league. That in some regard led to high expectations that Fernandez never met with the Dodgers.
He spent this past season with Tulsa where he batted .306/.366/.498 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs in 90 games. Fernandez earned a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City and had three hits and an RBI in 10 at-bats.
The second baseman suffered an injury in late July that cost him the rest of the season and could be a possible factor in his surprising release.
Fernandez spent some time with the big league club during Spring Training, tallying four hits in 24 at-bats (.167 batting average) while also walking four times.
In addition to playing second base, Fernandez has also spent some time at both corner infield positions and in left field thus far in his pro career. It would not come as a shock if he quickly joined another organization.
