Former Toronto Blue Jays top pitching prospect to make MLB debut
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Minnesota Twins to promote former Toronto Blue Jays prospect Kendry Rojas
The Minnesota Twins are calling on a former Toronto Blue Jays farmhand to boost their short-handed bullpen.
According to a report from the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale, hard-throwing left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas is set to be called up to the major league roster, where he’ll take on a relief role.
Kendry Rojas, whom the Twins acquired at the trade deadline, is still just 23 👀 Big swing and miss from the lefty, with a fastball in the upper 90s. Excited to see him make his debut #MNTwins
Rojas will make an immediate impact in a struggling Twins bullpen
Rojas originally joined the Blue Jays as an international signing in 2020, but his development in Toronto’s system was slowed by multiple injuries, including issues with his lat, shoulder, and abdomen.
Last summer, ahead of the trade deadline, Toronto dealt Rojas along with outfielder Alan Roden to Minnesota in a move that caught many off guard.
In return, the Blue Jays acquired reliever Louis Varland and infielder Ty France.
While Varland quickly became an important contributor to Toronto’s bullpen, the Twins targeted Rojas and Roden as near-MLB-ready talent fitting their long-term strategy.
This season, Rojas has been limited by a hamstring injury and has logged just 7 1/3 innings.
Despite the small sample, the 23-year-old has yet to allow a run. Most of that work, six innings, came with Triple-A St. Paul, while the remaining 1 1/3 innings were part of a rehab stint with A-ball Fort Myers.
Across those appearances, Rojas has recorded seven strikeouts but issued four walks.
His broader Triple-A track record shows some inconsistency, with a 14.06% walk rate, a 20.31% strikeout rate, and a 6.10 ERA over 38 1/3 innings.
Control remains the biggest question mark for Rojas as he looks to establish himself at the major league level.
Evaluators still see potential, however, he’s ranked among the Twins’ top 10 prospects by multiple outlets, which project him as a possible back-end starter if he returns to a starting role in the future.
Minnesota’s bullpen has struggled so far this season, sitting near the bottom of the league in both ERA and strikeouts, making Rojas’ promotion a timely opportunity for the young left-hander.
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