Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel RodrÃguezâs status with the team has remained unsettled since he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in December, and a new last-minute move is now raising fresh questions about where the $32 million arm fits just days before Opening Day.
On the day the Blue Jays played their final spring training game before Opening Day of the 2026 season, the Blue Jays informed the 27-year-old right-hander that he will not make the major league roster to start the season, according to a report by journalist Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.
“RodrÃguez has been informed that he did not make the Toronto Blue Jays Opening Day roster and will begin the 2026 season in Triple-A Buffalo, per source,” Romero wrote on his social media account Sunday morning.
The Blue Jays hosted the Tampa Bay Rays at TD Park in Dunedin, Florida, to close out their Grapefruit League schedule. Toronto scored six runs in the first inning and another seven in the fourth while holding their American League East rivals to a single run, to head into the regular season on an upbeat note.
Blue Jays Giving Up on Pitcher After $32 Million Contract
To say that the Cuban-born RodrÃguez has been a disappointment would be an understatement. After three seasons pitching for the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Central League, striking out 188 in 175 1/3 innings with a 3.03 ERA, all in relief, the Blue Jays officially signed RodrÃguez in February 2024, giving him a five-year contract totaling $32 million.
The Blue Jays knew the contract represented a calculated risk. RodrÃguez departed the Dragons after the 2022 season, pitching only in the World Baseball Classic for Cuba the following year.
The team tried converting RodrÃguez to a starter in 2024, with mixed results. Over 21 starts and just 86 2/3 innings he compiled a 4.47 ERA, credited with eight losses against a single win.
Returning RodrÃguez to the bullpen in 2025 produced somewhat better results, a 3.08 ERA over 66 appearances and 73 innings. But the Blue Jays did not feel confident enough in RodrÃguez to include him on their World Series roster last year, especially after the Seattle Mariners reached him for three runs in one credited inning of work in the American League Championship Series.
After the season, the Blue Jays chose to simply eat RodrÃguez’s salary, outrighting him off their 40-man roster.
But the club gave RodrÃguez a chance to work his way back this spring, inviting him to major league camp. Unfortunately, in just three Grapefruit League innings he was rocked for seven earned runs, and though he struck out five, he also walked four.
What Comes Next For Rodriguez?
The fact that the Blue Jays waited until the last minute to make the roster move with RodrÃguez appears to indicate they at least had hopes that he could pitch his way back onto the major league team. Even in the minor leagues as a non-roster player, RodrÃguez will continue to collect his MLB salary, which is set at $7 million for 2026.
The move leaves the pitcherâs future uncertain. The Blue Jays placed him on waivers after last season, but all 29 other teams declined to take on his salary. Presumably, a stellar performance for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons could again win the Blue Jays’ attention, or the eye of another team looking to trade for a reliever. But even a trade would depend on whether Toronto is willing to continue picking up RodrÃguez’s salary.
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