Get to know newest Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ben Cowles

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to tinker with their roster as Opening Day approaches, looking for ways to strengthen the organization’s depth and raise the overall competitive floor.

Their latest move comes via the waiver wire, where they claimed infielder Ben Cowles, a 26-year-old still chasing his first major league appearance.

Originally selected in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees out of the University of Maryland.

Cowles began his professional journey in Single-A. In his brief debut stint, he posted a .237/.342/.433 slash line with four home runs across 114 plate appearances, though his 36.8 percent strikeout rate hinted at swing-and-miss concerns.

During his first full professional season, Cowles again spent most of his time in Single-A, with a short promotion to High-A. Across 355 plate appearances, he hit .272/.375/.427 with seven home runs, showing improved on-base skills and steady offensive production.

In 2023, Cowles logged nearly the entire season at High-A for the Yankees, aside from a brief nine-plate-appearance cameo in Triple-A.

He finished the year with a .254/.356/.393 line and 10 home runs. His 12.4 percent walk rate was encouraging, but a 27.5 percent strikeout rate underscored the inconsistency in his offensive profile.

A breakthrough appeared to come in 2024. With Double-A, Cowles turned in his most complete season yet, batting .294/.376/.472 with nine home runs.

Perhaps most notably, he trimmed his strikeout rate to 17.7 percent, a significant step forward.

That performance made him an intriguing trade chip, and ahead of the deadline he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for former Blue Jays reliever Mark Leiter Jr. The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster by season’s end.

However, 2025 proved far more challenging. Back at Triple-A, Cowles struggled to a .238/.304/.382 line with nine home runs over 462 plate appearances.

His strikeout rate climbed to 28.6 percent while his walk rate dipped to 7.1 percent. The downturn led to a DFA, after which he was claimed by the Chicago White Sox.

His stint there was brief and unproductive, just 15 games at Triple-A, where he hit .220/.277/.288 without a home run.

Cowles returned to the Cubs, as they claimed him off waivers once the White Sox signed Drew Romo, but when the Cubs signed Shelby Miller on February 15th, he was once again DFA’ed, being claimed by the Blue Jays.

A Rochester, New York native, Cowles offers defensive versatility and some right-handed pop.

Projection systems remain skeptical: Steamer forecasts a .215/.272/.321 line in the majors, while ZiPS projects similar production over a full opportunity.

His arrival adds intrigue to camp, particularly in competition with Leo Jiménez for a potential infield role.

With options remaining, Cowles provides roster flexibility, something that could factor heavily into the Blue Jays’ final decisions as spring training winds down.

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