Jump to content
Jays Centre
  • Create Account

  • Minor League Notes

    Read quick notes from all four Toronto Blue Jays affiliates: Triple-A Buffalo, Double-A New Hampshire, High-A Vancouver and Single-A Dunedin. Notes cover promotions, injuries and standout performances.

    9 rumors in this category

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The Toronto Blue Jays have more infield depth.

      The Jays on Saturday acquired infielder Luis Urias from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a cash trade. Urias was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. He had been with Triple-A Reno for the D'backs.

      Urias, 29, signed a minor-league contract with the D'backs in March, but began the season on the seven-day injured list after playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. He came back in early May, slashing .361/.393/.546 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 27 games.

      He last appeared in MLB last season, playing in 96 games with the A's and posting a .230/.315/.338 slash line with eight homers and 25 RBIs. He has a career mark of .231/.329/.378 over eight seasons.

       

       

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays designated Connor Seabold for assignment last week when Max Scherzer returned from the injured list. Today, the right-hander's time in DFA limbo came to an end. The Jays have shipped Seabold off to the Royals in exchange for minor league right-hander Denis Samudio. Toronto also gets cash considerations in the deal. 

      Seabold appeared in five games for the Blue Jays this season. He gave up three runs in 3.1 innings, striking out one and walking two. Presuming he gets in a game for the Royals, they will be his seventh MLB team. 

      Samudio signed with Kansas City as an international free agent in January 2025. He pitched well in the Dominican Summer League last season (1.72 ERA, 30.6% strikeout rate), earning an honourable mention on FanGraphs' list of the Royals' top prospects. According to Brendan Gawlowski's write-up, the righty was touching 95 with "some of the best vertical break" in Kansas City's system.

      After starting the 2026 season in the Arizona Complex League, Samudio earned a promotion to the Single-A Columbia Fireflies in May. In four outings for the Fireflies, he struck out 17 and walked eight in 14 innings of work, pitching to a 4.50 ERA. His latest outing was his best. The 21-year-old earned his first professional win with four innings of scoreless relief work.

      Samudio will remain at the Single-A level for now and report to the Dunedin Blue Jays.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays and Rudy Martin Jr. have agreed to a new minor league deal, according to Ari Alexander of 7News Boston. The contract includes an invitation to big league spring training.

      The 30-year-old made his long-awaited MLB debut with Toronto in September. Unfortunately, he only appeared in two games before suffering a season-ending hamstring strain. Now, he can hope to get a longer look with the Jays in 2027. His odds of making the Opening Day roster are slim, but he'll offer speedy outfield depth at Triple-A Buffalo.

      Leo Morgenstern

      The Blue Jays released infielder Lenyn Sosa yesterday, a month after they sent him outright to Triple-A Buffalo. He's now a free agent.

      Toronto acquired Sosa from the White Sox in April. He appeared in 28 games for the Jays, splitting his time between first and second base. He slashed .188/.205/.275 with a -0.5 fWAR. In late May, Sosa landed on the injured list, and he never made it back to the majors. In 17 games for the Buffalo Bisons, he hit .257 with an 87 wRC+. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      According to reporter Francys Romero, the Toronto Blue Jays recently signed Tomoya Kinjo, an international amateur free agent from Japan. The right-hander trained in the Dominican Republic and previously played in the Shikoku Island League Plus, an independent professional league in Japan. At 23 years old, Kinjo is on the older side for an international amateur signing, but Romero notes he reaches 98 mph on his fastball – that's eye-catching at any age.

      Indeed, according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan, Kinjo has set a goal to reach 165 kmh (103 mph), and he's documenting his progress on social media. He has already hit the 100 mph milestone in this endeavor. Obviously, there's more to pitching than velocity, but the appeal of an amateur who can already hit triple digits is just as clear.

      Yakyu Cosmopolitan also notes that Kinjo entered the NPB draft in both 2024 and '25 but was not selected in either year. In other words, he's not going to be a top prospect – at least not right away (and maybe not ever). He's a notable lottery ticket, but he's still a lottery ticket.

      Kinjo joins many new Blue Jays prospects in the international class of 2026, highlighted by catcher Juan Caricote and outfielders Michael Mesa and Aneudi Severino. Romero did not provide details about Kinjo's signing bonus.

      Leo Morgenstern

      On Monday, the Blue Jays selected the contract of right-hander Tanner Andrews from Triple-A Buffalo. The next day, they signed a new arm to replenish their right-handed minor league relief depth.

      Matt Bowman, 35 on Sunday, has appeared in 231 games over seven major league seasons. From 2016-19, he pitched to a 4.02 ERA and 3.20 xERA in 183 games for the Cardinals and Reds. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 and did not return to the majors until September 2023. Since then, he has tossed 59.1 innings with a 5.46 ERA and 5.05 xERA for the Yankees, Twins, Diamondbacks, Mariners, and Orioles. 

      While Bowman hasn't had much success since his surgery, he's been an interesting pitcher to watch. If you're curious to learn more about Bowman, Michael Rosen of FanGraphs wrote a great piece about the unusual right-hander last season.

      This past winter, Bowman signed a minor league deal with the Twins. Although he pitched to a 1.69 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 21.1 innings at Triple-A St. Paul, he never got a call-up to the majors. Last week, he exercised an opt-out clause in his contract, prompting Minnesota to grant him his release.

      Matt Bowman will now report to the Buffalo Bisons, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him pitching for the Blue Jays at some point this year. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      After almost nine years in Toronto's organization, Leo Jiménez is heading to Miami. Jiménez made a valiant effort to break camp with the Blue Jays, but ultimately, he failed to make the Opening Day roster. As he was out of options, the team had no choice but to designate him for assignment.  

      On Sunday, the Marlins decided to take a chance on the 24-year-old infielder, sending a 23-year-old infielder (and $250,000 of international bonus pool money) to the Blue Jays in return. Miami selected Dub Gleed in the ninth round of the 2024 draft, and he made his affiliated debut in 2025. He rose through the Marlins' system quickly, finishing his season with one game at Triple-A Jacksonville. The corner infielder walked almost as often as he struck out, helping him post a 124 wRC+ across four levels.

      Leo Morgenstern

      In a rare Rodriguez-for-Rodriguez trade, the Blue Jays have sent minor league right-hander Sebastian Rodriguez to the Dodgers in exchange for José Rodríguez, himself a minor league right-handed pitcher.

      The younger Rodriguez, 20, made his professional debut for the Blue Jays Blue squad in the Dominican Summer League this year. He pitched nine innings over seven games, giving up six earned runs but striking out 11.

      The elder Rodriguez, 25, had been in the Dodgers' system since 2019. He owns a 4.16 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 71.1 career innings at the Triple-A level. The Blue Jays have assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo for now, but it's certainly possible he could make his MLB debut at some point later this month. 

      Leo Morgenstern

      Rosters for the 2026 All-Star Futures Game were announced this morning. Two Blue Jays will represent the American League in the exhibition matchup: shortstop JoJo Parker and right-handed pitcher Nolan Perry. 

      Parker was Toronto's first-round pick last summer. He is Jays Centre's No. 1 prospect and is widely considered a top-100 prospect in the sport. In his first professional season, he has an .853 OPS and a 129 wRC+ in 64 games with Single-A Dunedin.

      Perry, a 12th-round pick in 2022, is enjoying a breakout campaign. The righty has already been promoted twice this season, and he recently shot up to No. 8 on our latest prospect ranking update. In 54.2 innings with Dunedin, Vancouver, and New Hampshire, he has 85 strikeouts and a 2.47 ERA.

      This year's Futures Game will take place on Sunday, July 12 in Philadelphia. 

×
×
  • Create New...