LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Former Tampa Bay Rays starter Roberto Hernandez has found a new home.
The free-agent right-hander reached an agreement Thursday with the Philadelphia Phillies pending a physical, as confirmed by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Tampa Bay signed Hernandez, 33, to a one-year, $3.25 million deal last December. He was named the Rays' fifth starter after spring training, beating out right-hander Jeff Niemann, but Hernandez struggled with consistency throughout his brief stint with Tampa Bay.
He finished 6-13 with a 4.89 ERA in 32 appearances (24 starts). Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, was signed as a potential innings-eater. But he pitched 151 innings, the fewest in years with at least four appearances since he threw 125 1/3 with the Cleveland Indians in 2009. He's a career 59-82 with a 4.67 ERA in eight major league seasons, seven in Cleveland.
Though he began the season as a starter, Hernandez was demoted to the bullpen by September with right-hander Chris Archer's emergence. He never appeared in the postseason.
Hernandez was considered a long shot to re-sign with the Rays. He could salvage his reputation as a starter with a Philadelphia rotation that is moving forward after Roy Halladay's retirement.
