Rule 5 Draft Pick Angel Bastardo Will Make Jays Organization Debut in the AFL

[Simon Li]

The Toronto Blue Jays are sending a group of prospects to the Arizona Fall League, who will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Their manager will be Toronto Blue Jays minor league field coordinator Eric Duncan.

The main headliner is Angel Bastardo, whom the Jays stole from the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, as he was left unprotected after undergoing Tommy John surgery. This will be his first taste of action with the Jays, as he hasn't pitched since last June. 

Josh Kasevich is Jays Centre's highest-ranked prospect going to Arizona, as the infielder struggled with injuries throughout the season and will surely appreciate the extra reps that the AFL provides.

Catching prospect Edward Duran was heating up at the end of the season for the High-A Vancouver Canadians and will hopefully maintain that momentum in Arizona. The 21-year-old catcher has turned heads and established himself as the best catching prospect within the system.

In addition to those three prospects, the Jays are also sending over four relief prospects who excelled in the 2025 minor league season. Right-handers Alex Amalfi and Chay Yeager have already made their way to Double A and will most likely get a shot at Triple A next season. Meanwhile, right-hander Yondrei Rojas and left-hander Kai Peterson were mainstays in the Vancouver bullpen in High A, and both had a taste of Double A as well. 

Unfortunately, Ricky Tiedemann doesn't seem to be ready for reps, as he's not attending the AFL season. So, the calibre of prospects being sent over is lighter than usual, but it will still be exciting to see Bastardo in action.

Featured image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images.

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[G-Snarls]

Angroiter - how has he been doing in his recovery??

[Spanky__99]

So we don't lose him if he doesn't pitch?

 

[G-Snarls]

Just now, Spanky__99 said:

So we don't lose him if he doesn't pitch?

 

Yeah how does it work ??

[Spanky__99]

That's f***ing unfortunate...

 

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Unfortunately, Ricky Tiedemann doesn't seem to be ready for reps, as he's not attending the AFL season. So, the calibre of prospects being sent over is lighter than usual, but it will still be exciting to see Bastardo in action.

 

[Spanky__99]

Just now, G-Snarls said:

Yeah how does it work ??

I'm guessing next year's Cutoff in ST.

[max silver]

4 minutes ago, G-Snarls said:

Yeah how does it work ??

I just sort of assumed as long as Bastardo was kept on the injured list throughout the entire season that this would effectively remove the need to add him to the 26 man roster at any point.

Correction: I looked this up and it appears as though Bastardo will need to be on the 26 man roster for 90 days in the 2026 season. The blurb is a little confusing as I believe they may have mixed the years up.

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He’s an interesting pick because he had Tommy John surgery last summer. Because of that, he will spend most of this season on the IL and not hanging out at the back of the bullpen. It gives them time to get to know him, give him to know the team and then, well, hang out at the back of the bullpen in 2026. He would have to be on the roster for 90 days to have it, so he doesn’t have to be on the MLB roster in 2026, and I doubt he’ll recover quickly enough for that.

https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/1/6/24337316/better-know-your-blue-jays-40-man-angel-bastardo

[Spanky__99]

1 minute ago, max silver said:

I just sort of assumed as long as Bastardo was kept on the injured list throughout the entire season that this would effectively remove the need to add him to the 26 man roster at any point.

I've been wondering for a while now, assumed he'd get activated the last day or something.

[max silver]

Just now, Spanky__99 said:

I've been wondering for a while now, assumed he'd get activated the last day or something.

I edited my previous post. It appears as though Bastardo may need to spend 90 days on the 26 man roster in 2026.

[Spanky__99]

Just now, max silver said:

I edited my previous post. It appears as though Bastardo may need to spend 90 days on the 26 man roster in 2026.

That makes sense... use him as a LR

[max silver]

1 minute ago, Spanky__99 said:

That makes sense... use him as a LR

The club will be able to see how he looks in spring training to see if he's worth rostering or not. I'm guessing that Bastardo would need to stay on the 26 man roster for 90 continuous days barring injury to be in the spirit of the rule.

[Spanky__99]

1 minute ago, max silver said:

The club will be able to see how he looks in spring training to see if he's worth rostering or not. I'm guessing that Bastardo would need to stay on the 26 man roster for 90 continuous days barring injury to be in the spirit of the rule.

Right, they obviously like him.