According to Francys Romero’s report, the Toronto Blue Jays are preparing to bring up Yariel Rodríguez, whom they signed in the offseason. The Cuban pitcher will officially join the team on Saturday. Rodríguez, who is already on the Toronto 40-man roster, signed a five-year, $32M deal with the Jays late last winter. He had been a contender for a spot in the starting rotation, especially with Alek Manoah’s injury during spring training, but he was hindered by back spasms, limiting him to just two spring training appearances where he pitched five innings, allowing one run.
With Manoah’s spot in the rotation being filled by Bowden Francis, Rodríguez was sent to Triple-A Buffalo to continue building his arm strength after only pitching twice for the Bisons, delivering 6 1/3 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and three walks. Given his recent workload, it’s unlikely the Jays will push Rodríguez to throw over 100 pitches in his MLB debut, but he’s expected to contribute in a multi-inning role initially.
The corresponding move for Rodríguez’s promotion is unclear, but Francis is currently slated to start on Saturday against the Rockies. Francis has struggled in his first two MLB starts, giving up 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings. The Jays could potentially send Francis back to Buffalo and insert Rodríguez into the rotation, or they might utilize both pitchers in a tandem start, allowing them to face the lineup twice without overextending their pitch counts.
Regardless of how they use him, the Jays will monitor Rodríguez’s innings closely, as his only competitive action in 2023 was during the World Baseball Classic. In 2022, he pitched as a reliever for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan, posting an impressive 1.15 ERA in 54 2/3 innings. His heaviest workload came in 2018 in Cuba, where he pitched 133 1/3 innings as a 21-year-old.
