Foster Griffin

Fred Foster Griffin (born July 27, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB with the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.

The Royals selected Griffin in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut with the team in 2020. After his debut, he had Tommy John surgery. After a brief return to the majors in 2022, he signed with Yomiuri. He was an NPB All-Star in 2025. Griffin was named to his first MLB All-Star game in 2026.

Career Kansas City Royals Griffin attended The First Academy in Orlando, Florida. The Kansas City Royals selected him in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed on June 10, and was assigned to the Burlington Royals, where he posted a 3.21 ERA in 28 innings pitched. Griffin spent 2015 with the Lexington Legends where he went 4–6 with a 5.44 ERA. In 2016, Griffin split time between Lexington and the Wilmington Blue Rocks, where he posted a combined 6–4 record and a 5.43 ERA between the two teams. He spent 2017 with both Wilmington and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals where he went a combined 15–7 with a 3.35 ERA between both clubs, and 2018 back with the Naturals where he pitched to a 10–12 record with a 5.13 ERA in 28 games (26 starts). He spent 2019 with the Omaha Storm Chasers, going 8–6 with a 5.23 ERA over 25 starts, striking out 111 over innings. Griffin was added to the Royals 40-man roster following the 2019 season.

Griffin made his major league debut on July 27, 2020 (his 25th birthday), pitching scoreless innings to earn the win against the Detroit Tigers. On August 11, Griffin underwent Tommy John surgery. On November 30, Griffin was designated for assignment. On December 2, the Royals non-tendered Griffin, making him a free agent. On December 12, Griffin re-signed with the Royals on a minor league contract.

Griffin made 15 rehab appearances with five Royals minor league affiliates in 2021. He began the 2022 season with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. On May 20, 2022, Griffin had his contract selected by the Royals.

Toronto Blue Jays On July 16, 2022, Griffin was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Jonatan Bernal. Griffin pitched only once for Toronto, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. The rest of his season was spent with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he pitched to a pristine 2.31 ERA and 2-0 record with 25 strikeouts in innings pitched. He was released on November 15.

Yomiuri Giants On January 12, 2023, Griffin signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. On May 13, Griffin hit a triple off of Masato Morishita of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He became the first Yomiuri non-Japanese pitcher to hit a triple since Toru Nishida in 1952. In his first season in Japan, he was 6–5 with a 2.75 ERA in 20 games. Griffin signed a two-year contract extension for the 2024 season on November 26. He had similar results in 2024, going 6–4 with a 3.01 ERA in 20 games. In 14 appearances for the Giants, he compiled a 6-1 record and 1.62 ERA with 77 strikeouts over 78 innings of work. On December 2, 2025, Griffin and Yomiuri parted ways.

Washington Nationals On December 22, 2025, Griffin signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

On July 11, 2026, Griffin was named to the National League All Star Team as a replacement for Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns.

Cleveland Guardians On August 3, 2026, the Nationals traded Griffin to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Will Dion, Josh Hartle, Kendeglys Virguez, and Nick Mitchell.