Minor League Baseball

Toronto Blue Jays Top Pitching Prospect Brandon Barriera Starting Rehab Assignment

Brandon Barriera, now 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, is set to to take the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays' affiliate in the Florida Complex League.
Sam Connon|
Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brandon Barriera reacts after he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 23rd player in the MLB draft at XBox Plaza at LA Live.
Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brandon Barriera reacts after he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 23rd player in the MLB draft at XBox Plaza at LA Live. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Brandon Barriera is set to begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reported Friday morning.

Barriera last pitched in April 2024, as he wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery later that month. Prior to his elbow injury, Barriera had made eight starts as a professional, going 0-2 with a 4.57 ERA, 1.015 WHIP and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Blue Jays selected Barriera with the No. 23 overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft.

Barriera, 21, is currently ranked as the No. 13 prospect in Toronto's farm system, which is ninth-highest among pitchers and fourth-highest among left-handers. He was ranked No. 4 – No. 2 among pitchers – before hurting his elbow.

Between Barriera and Ricky Tiedemann, the Blue Jays dealt with tough injury luck to their top pitching prospects last year, and that isn't even mentioning former All-Star Alek Manoah. Manoah is set to face live hitters for the first time Tuesday, per Bannon, while Tiedemann is lagging behind Barriera but still expects to take the mound at some level in 2025.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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