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It wasn’t until a player plan meeting with Memphis manager Ben Johnson, pitching coach Darwin Marrero and special adviser and pitching instructor Jason Isringhausen that helped the 27-year-old flip a mental switch.

Fernandez and the trio of coaches reviewed his pitch mix and saw his “stuff� looked similar to what it did in 2024, when he posted a 3.51 ERA and had a 31.5% whiff rate, per Statcast, in 62 games as a rookie. The meeting helped him realize how, along with the mechanical changes, he could turn around a 2025 season that began with a 10.38 ERA in 14 games in the majors.

“I just wasn’t throwing them for the strikes,� Fernandez said on Monday. “That kind of really beat it in my head that it was kind of just a mental thing going on. I think ever since that meeting, it had really sealed the deal on that’s what I needed to focus on. From that day, I genuinely just flipped a switch in my head and then told myself that I’m just going to go out there and attack guys, and ever since it’s been really good.�

He said his success in the majors from a year prior gave him the confidence he could “at the very least shove� while in Class AAA.

During his time in Memphis, Fernandez posted a 3.12 ERA in 29 appearances. He allowed one run, which came on a homer, in 17 1/3 innings and had a 41.5% whiff rate before he was recalled to the majors on Aug. 1 following the Cardinals’ trade deadline sell-off. Over a stretch during which he had a 0.52 ERA, the righty kept opponents to a .155 batting average and notched 20 strikeouts.

“I just told myself, like, these guys got nothing for me,� Fernandez said of his time in the minors. “I’m going to go out there and just throw it in the zone, and I know they can’t hit it. I just kept doing it, and it was working out very well.�

Back in the majors with regained confidence, Fernandez returns as one of the young arms the Cardinals could turn to for innings over the final two months of the regular season. He’s provided 4 1/3 innings of relief and allowed four runs in three outings since being recalled.

He points to his most recent outing as an example of his adjusted mentality.

In a lopsided loss to the Cubs on Saturday, Fernandez completed three innings and allowed one run on two hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. Fernandez collected nine whiffs as he flashed a fastball that touched 96.4 mph as a part of a four-pitch mix that got a 38% whiff rate.

The appearance against Chicago provided Fernandez some satisfaction after he allowed three runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Dodgers earlier in the week.

“I just told myself, this next outing, I’m just going to say, ‘F it, get ahead.’ ... I had one bad pitch where he hit it out, but overall, I’m very happy about the last outing,� Fernandez said.

Donovan tests groin injury

Absent from the Cardinals’ lineup for a third consecutive game because of a left groin injury, All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan went through pregame workouts to test out the injury.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol referred to Monday’s workout as a test day to see how Donovan’s left groin responds. He noted that the workout would have to go “really poorly� for Donovan to require a placement on the injured list.

Wetherholt highlights minors awards

Top prospect JJ Wetherholt was one of four Cardinals prospects to earn an organization or league-wide honor Monday.

Wetherholt, 22, was named the Cardinals’ minor league player of the month for July after he hit .306 with seven homers and a 1.103 on-base plus slugging percentage in 19 games for Class AAA Memphis.

Braden Davis, the Cardinals’ fifth-round pick in 2024, was named Cardinals minor league pitcher of the month for July after he went 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA and struck out 38 batters in 23 2/3 innings across five starts — three of which came in Class Low-A and two in Class High-A following a promotion.

Quinn Mathews, the Cardinals top pitching prospect at the start of this year, was named International League pitcher of the week after he threw seven scoreless innings and nine strikeouts during a a Thursday start for Memphis and Brycen Mautz, the club’s second round pick in 2022, earned Texas League pitcher of the week honors for a 10-strikeout, six-scoreless inning performance on Friday for Class AA Springfield.

Extra bases

Lefty John King (left oblique strain) plans to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday at Busch Stadium after his bullpen on Sunday, which had about “80%� intensity, went well. King may have a Cardinals coach stand in on Wednesday’s session to simulate a hitter and would be at “100%� intensity. King could join Class AAA Memphis for a rehab assignment this weekend if all goes well on Wednesday.

Left-hander Anthony Veneziano made his organizational debut on Saturday with a scoreless inning for Class AAA Memphis. Veneziano, 27, was claimed on waivers by the Cardinals on Aug. 4 after the Marlins designated him for assignment.

On Sunday, former Cardinal Luken Baker was outrighted to Class AAA Oklahoma City in the Dodgers’ system. Baker, who was on the Cardinals’ opening day roster this year, was claimed on waivers by the Dodgers on Aug. 4 and designated for assignment two days later to clear a spot on their 40-man roster.