The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with right-hander James Kaprielian. According to the team’s transaction log, the 30-year-old will be with Triple-A Buffalo.
Once of the top pitching prospects in the New York Yankees organization, Kaprielian was traded from New York to Oakland in the 2017 deadline deal for Sonny Gray. The former No. 16 overall draft pick spent the next six and a half years in the A’s organization, making his big league debut in the shortened 2020 seaso. He’d appear in four straight seasons with the A’s. The right-hander battled multiple shoulder injuries throughout his career, undergoing a pair of surgeries.
Oakland passed him through outright waivers in October, and he became a free agent at the end of the season.
Blue Jays Sign James Kaprielian to Minor League Deal
Kaprielian offered a glimpse of what he could do when he’s healthy in 2021 and 2022. Through 50 appearances (47 starts), he pitched to a 4.15 ERA with 221 strikeouts over 253 ⅓ innings. However, Kaprielian never returned from his AC joint repair in the 2022-23 offseason. In 2023, he allowed 45 runs in 61 innings (6.34 ERA) and walked a career-worst 11.1% of hitters.
Now almost a year removed from his shoulder surgery last August, Kaprielian gives Toronto much-needed rotation depth. The Blue Jays recently lost right-hander Alek Manoah to season-ending UCL surgery. Toronto lacks an established fifth starter behind Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, and Yusei Kikuchi.
Rookie right-hander Yariel Rodríguez began a rehab assignment on May 21st after he was sidelined with spine inflammation in April. Rodríguez owns a 4.11 ERA in four starts before he was put on the 15-day injured list. The 27-year-old will likely return to the Blue Jays rotation this week. Bowden Francis has made eight appearances (three starts) for Toronto this year and has been struck. Francis has given up six homers and 18 runs in 26 innings (6.23 ERA).
If he can stay healthy, Kaprielian could be a strong second-half option for Toronto. Since he only has 2.167 years of big league service time, there’s potential for the Blue Jays to have three more years of club control.
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