The Cardinals optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday.
The right-hander made 32 relief appearances for St. Louis last year but struggled to a 7.71 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in 30.1 innings. Fernandez wasn't any better during spring training with eight runs allowed and a 7:5 K:BB across six frames, so he'll begin 2026 at Triple-A.