Fernando Antonio Abad (; born December 17, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and Colorado Rockies.
Abad began his professional career in 2006, pitching for the Dominican Summer Astros. That year, he went 5–2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 games (11 games started). He also struck out 64 batters in 611⁄3 innings.
He split 2007 between the Greeneville Astros (17 games, four starts) and Tri-City ValleyCats (two games), going a combined 6–4 with a 4.25 ERA, with 59 strikeouts in 53 innings. In 2008, he pitched for the Lexington Legends, going 2–7 with a 3.30 ERA in 45 relief appearances, striking out 94 batters in 761⁄3 innings.
Abad pitched for the Lancaster JetHawks (41 games) and Corpus Christi Hooks (three games, all starts) in 2009, going a combined 4–7 with a 4.00 ERA, striking out 92 batters in 962⁄3 innings of work.
In 3 seasons with the Astros, Abad went 1–11 with a 5.10 ERA in 88 games while striking out 65 in 842⁄3 innings. On November 1, 2012, Abad was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks.
On November 22, 2012, Abad signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. He was called up to the big leagues when Ryan Mattheus was placed on the disabled list and he posted a 3.35 ERA in 37+2⁄3 innings out of the bullpen. On November 20, 2013, Abad was designated for assignment.
On November 25, 2013, the Nationals traded Abad to the Oakland Athletics for minor league outfielder John Wooten.
In his first season in Oakland, Abad pitched a career high 69 games with a career low 1.57 ERA in 57+1⁄3 innings. Abad regressed the following season, allowing 11 home runs in under 60 innings. The Athletics designated Abad for assignment after the 2015 season, and he later elected free agency.
On December 17, 2015, Abad signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins organization. On April 2, 2016, the Twins selected Abad's contract after he made the team's Opening Day roster. He became an integral part of the Twins' bullpen in 2016, posting a 1–4 record and 2.65 ERA with 29 strikeouts across 39 appearances.
On August 1, 2016, the Twins traded Abad to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Pat Light. In 2017, Abad appeared in 48 games for the Red Sox, pitching to a 3.30 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 43+2⁄3 innings of work. On November 2, 2017, Abad elected free agency.
On February 17, 2018, Abad agreed to a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that included an invitation to spring training. He was released prior to the start of the season on March 21.
Abad signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on March 25, 2018. On June 7, Abad was suspended 80 games after testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance and was released by the Mets upon the announcement of the news.
On August 3, 2018, Abad signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 19 games for the Ducks, he logged a 1-0 record and 0.48 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 2 saves across 18+2⁄3 innings pitched. Abad became a free agent following the 2018 season.
On February 16, 2019, Abad signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization. In 41 appearances split between the Double–A Richmond Flying Squirrels and Triple–A Sacramento River Cats, he compiled a 2.70 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 13 saves over 50 innings pitched. On August 15, the Giants selected Abad's contract, adding him to their active roster. In 21 games for San Francisco, he logged a 4.15 ERA with 9 strikeouts across 13 innings of work. On November 2, the Giants declined their option on Abad for the 2020 season, making him a free agent.
On December 18, 2019, Abad returned to the Washington Nationals, signing a minor league contract with the organization. He was released by the Nationals on July 17, 2020.
On July 24, 2020, Abad signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees organization. He became a free agent on November 2.
On December 16, 2020, Abad signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization.
After the 2020 season, he played for Toros del Este of the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). He has also played for Dominican Republic in the 2021 Caribbean Series. After posting a 4.26 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 26 appearances for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, the Orioles selected Abad's contract on August 15, 2021.