The Toronto Blue Jays optioned right-hander Yariel Rodriguez to the team’s spring training complex on Sunday.
Rodriguez surrendered three runs, four hits and two walks while striking out five through five innings in his final start of the season Saturday against the Miami Marlins.
The 27-year-old made 21 starts this season and logged 86.2 innings in the big leagues with a 4.47 ERA and 85 strikeouts.
As Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi noted in his column, the Blue Jays want Rodriguez to throw more fastballs and splitters and rely less on a slider that was his second-most used pitch Saturday (21 of 82 pitches) and throughout the season at 28.4 per cent. His least used pitch was the splitter at 10 per cent and he identified that as “my key pitch,” while adding that, “I’ve got to get it better.”
“Routines definitely have developed in between,” manager John Schneider said of Rodriguez’s growth this season. “The last thing we’re kind of looking for is just pitch mix, you know what I mean? That’s something that’s been talked about over the last month, but that’s the next step for him. The maturity, the regular stuff that he’s doing in between starts has been the biggest part.”
The Blue Jays signed Rodriguez to a five-year, $32 million deal this past off-season. He was used mainly as a reliever during his final season with the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in 2022.
The Cuban decided against returning to Japan in 2023 and instead sat out the year in anticipation of making the move to MLB as a free agent.
Going into next season, Rodriguez will be an important piece to the team’s puzzle in 2025 whether in the bullpen or starting rotation. He does believe there are areas that he needs to improve on.
“I need to get better at everything,” Rodriguez, said through interpreter Hector Lebron, after his final start. “Strength-wise, now that I’m here, I’ve definitely got to get better for next year. Maybe my concentration in my outings has got to get a little bit better – this is a tougher league. But everything is new, so I’m going to learn from that.”
The Blue Jays also recalled left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert from triple-A.
Eisert will be active for Sunday’s season finale against the Marlins.
