Francys Romero reported on Monday afternoon that the Colorado Rockies are expected to select the contract of slugging Cuban prospect Yanquiel Fernández on Tuesday. Fernández is ranked as the organization’s no. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline and here on Purple Row we ranked him at no. 7 prior to the 2025 season.

Fernández was a key member of the Rockies’ 2019 international class when he was just 16-years-old. Now 22, the outfielder from La Habana, Cuba will be called up to make his big league debut.

Lovingly described by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen as “a strapping, broad-shouldered young man with considerable thunder in his hands,” Fernández has a 60-graded power tool and is able to generate effortless pop when he gets the barrel to the ball.

On the other hand, he has a habit of chasing breaking pitches outside the zone and sometimes force his swing in an unnecessary attempt to generate extra power.

Fernández is defensively limited to right field, as he lacks the speed and range to play in center or left and isn’t the best route runner. However, he has improved his glovework throughout his minor league career and has an incredibly powerful throwing arm.

Fernández quickly found his footing in the lower levels of the Rockies’ farm system. In 2022 with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies he hit 21 home runs while slashing .284/.340/.507 with 109 RBIs, while he hit 17 home runs and slashed .319/.354/.605 in 2023 with the High-A Spokane Indians.

However, Fernández struggled to find his power in the higher levels of the system. He hit just 18 home runs across parts of two seasons with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. At the end of the 2024 season he was promoted to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, where he hit just two home runs in 33 games.

This season something appears to have clicked. Fernández is hitting .284/.347/.502 with 13 home runs through his first 64 games in Albuquerque. His bat has especially caught fire in the month of June, where he’s hit five of those home runs and has a base hit in 13 of 17 games he’s appeared in.

Fellow prospect and Isotopes teammate Adael Amador (no. 3 PuRP) appeared to confirm the move, congratulating Fernández via a post on Instagram.

It is currently unclear who will be moved to make space on the 26-man roster for Fernández, who is already on the 40-man roster.

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This is a developing story and Purple Row will continue to provide updates as they become available.