Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Relievers of the Month - August 2025

[Leo Morgenstern]

This isn’t the first time I’ll say this, and it won’t be the last time either, but it bears repeating: Starting pitching has been a strength throughout the Blue Jays’ minor league system all year. 

Great starting pitching naturally leads to fewer opportunities for relievers. Still, there are plenty of bullpen arms in this organization who have made the most of the opportunities they’ve had. These were the best of the best in August.

Honourable Mentions
Julio Ortiz, RHP (High-A Vancouver)
August Stats: 1-0 (6 G), 8.2 IP, 2.08 ERA, 20 K, 10 BB

Other pitchers in the system threw more innings with a lower ERA than Julio Ortiz, but the 24-year-old earned this honourable mention by striking out 20 of the 37 batters he faced – that’s a 54.1% rate. The only problem was that he also walked 10; in one particularly poor outing, he walked four of the six hitters he saw. 

Control issues have plagued Ortiz throughout his pro career, but if he keeps overpowering opponents like he did in August, perhaps it will be enough to compensate for his wildness.

Nate Garkow, RHP (Double-A New Hampshire)
August Stats: 2-0 (9 G), 12,1 IP, 2.19 ERA, 20 K, 5 BB

On May 18, Nate Garkow gave up three earned runs in less than an inning of work. His ERA ballooned to 7.56. Two days later, he was promoted from High-A Vancouver to Double-A New Hampshire. 

At the time, any fan would have been perfectly justified in questioning his promotion. Yet, it turns out the Blue Jays knew exactly what they were doing. Since joining the Fisher Cats, Garkow has continued racking up strikeouts, and he has refined his control too, dropping his walk rate from 17.1% to 12.1%. That’s still high, but it’s manageable for a pitcher who strikes out close to 40% of his opponents. 

As hard as it is to believe, Garkow has been so good for New Hampshire that his excellent August performance actually increased his ERA and FIP. Altogether, he now owns a career 2.96 ERA and 2.74 FIP across three minor league levels. It’s starting to look like the Blue Jays discovered a real diamond in the rough when they signed a then 26-year-old Garkow out of independent ball last summer. 

3. Devereaux Harrison, RHP (Double-A New Hampshire)
August Stats: 1-2 (10 G), 16.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 22 K, 9 BB

Devereaux Harrison was exclusively a starting pitcher for more than two years, but he took on a bullpen role this past July after earning a promotion to Triple-A Buffalo. Unfortunately, he struggled badly against the higher level of competition, giving up nine runs (seven earned) on 14 hits and nine walks. While he didn’t give up any home runs, he only struck out seven, and almost 40% of the baserunners he allowed came around to score. 

So, the righty returned to New Hampshire in August. You could call it a demotion, but in truth, it proved to be exactly the reset he needed. Harrison got his walks in check, while his strikeout rate on the month rose to over 30% for the first time in his career.

Harrison narrowly beat out his teammate Garkow for this spot on the podium. His resilience after a tough month in Buffalo helped his case, but ultimately, it was the fact that Harrison faced an additional 21 batters in August and didn’t give up any home runs that set him apart.

2. Andrew Bash, RHP (Triple-A Buffalo)
August Stats: 2-0 (6 G), 11.2 IP, 0.77 ERA, 15 K, 6 BB

At 29, Andrew Bash is the oldest of this month’s honourees. He owns a 15-3 record and a 2.70 ERA in 243 minor league innings over the last three years, but his less-than-impressive strikeout and walk rates in that time (21.0% and 11.2%, respectively), and the fact that he’s yet to make his MLB debut, make one wonder if he’ll be stuck in Quad-A purgatory forever – too good for the minor leagues but not good enough for the majors. 

If his August performance was any indication, it’s about time the Blue Jays give him a chance to shed that Quad-A label. From March to July, Bash struck out 16.2% of the batters he faced. In August, that rate rose to 31.3%. With the big league bullpen cycling through low-leverage arms faster than Tadej Pogačar cycles through the mountains of France, perhaps they ought to give this multi-inning minor league veteran a shot at the highest level.

1. Danny Thompson Jr., RHP (Single-A Dunedin)
August Stats: 0-0 (8 G), 10.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 12 K, 2 BB

Danny Thompson Jr. didn’t look sharp in his professional debut. On July 30, barely two weeks after the Blue Jays selected him in the eighth round of the draft, he gave up a walk and two hits, including a solo home run.

However, the right-hander quickly put that outing behind him and made a terrific impression in August. Over eight appearances, Thompson faced 39 hitters and didn’t give up so much as a lone run. Only one of the six hits he allowed went for extra bases (a double), and only nine batters he faced reached base – and he erased two of those baserunners with double plays. 

As sharp as he looked in his first seven outings of the month, what secured Thompson the top spot on this list was his latest appearance on August 30. Facing the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, he saw seven batters over two innings, and all six outs he recorded were strikeouts.

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