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Toronto Blue Jays Set to Call Up Prized Cuban Pitcher This Weekend

According to reports, the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to call up Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez this weekend. After previously pitching in the Japanese Professional League (NPB), Rodriguez signed a five-year deal this offseason with Toronto.
Brady Farkas|
MLB Toronto Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez
MLB Toronto Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez | MLB Photos- USA TODAY NETWORK

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Toronto Blue Jays

After signing a five-year deal this offseason, Cuban-born right-hander Yariel Rodriguez is set to be called up this weekend by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cuban Baseball Insider Francys Romero had the report on social media:

BREAKING: The Toronto Blue Jays are calling up Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodríguez, per sources.

Yariel should be activated this Saturday.

His journey to the Big Leagues began a year ago and now he will be able to make it a reality.

Rodriguez probably would have started the year with the big league club, but he dealt with a number of issues in spring training including a visa problem and a tweaked back. While nothing official has been announced, it seems as if the Jays will remove Bowden Francis from the rotation - he has an ERA of near 13 in the early going.

With Rodriguez in the fold, the Jays' rotation will include Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and Yusei Kikuchi. Alek Manoah continues to rehab down in the minor leagues, but at this point, his future remains a giant wild card for the organization.

The 27-year-old Rodriguez has had an interesting career arc already prior to reaching the majors. He starred as a reliever in Japan's NPB, and then was a starter for Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. As he worked to get to the Majors, he essentially took off a year and didn't go back to the NPB last year, signing with Toronto this offseason. He certainly could have some rust, but he represents some big time upside as well.

The Blue Jays will play the Colorado Rockies this weekend.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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