Toronto Blue Jays rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (back) is playing catch up to 90 feet as he rehabs from thoracic spine inflammation that caused him to land on the 15-day injured list on April 30. Rodriguez will continue to ramp up his arm as he recovers from his back injury, but he almost certainly won't be coming off the injured list when he's eligible on May 14. The 27-year-old Cuban made his first four big-league starts with Toronto before getting hurt, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 19 hits (two home runs) while walking eight and striking out 16 for a 4.11 ERA (4.53 FIP) and 1.76 WHIP. Rodriguez is much more intriguing in the long term in fantasy than in 2024 as the Blue Jays look to ease him into a starter's workload. Expect them to play it safe with Rodriguez when he returns from his back injury.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed right-handed rookie Yariel Rodriguez (spine) on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with thoracic-spine inflammation and recalled right-hander Zach Pop from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Rodriguez began experiencing soreness in his back during his outing on Monday night against the Kansas City Royals in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking three and striking out one in 3 2/3 innings. Given the nature of the injury, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if the 27-year-old Cuban hurler misses more than the 15 days on the IL. Rodriguez hasn't been bad in his first four MLB starts, but he also hasn't gone past four innings pitched in any of his outings while sporting a 4.11 ERA and 1.76 WHIP with 16 K's in 15 1/3 frames. It's unclear who will take Rodriguez's spot in Toronto's rotation for at least the next two weeks.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is starting Saturday's game versus the visiting Colorado Rockies, says manager John Schneider. Rodriguez is all set to be called up from Triple-A Buffalo and make the first major-league start of his career on Saturday against the Rockies, as the Jays hope to get better results than Bowden Francis' 12.96 ERA in his two starts to begin the season. The 27-year-old Cuban right-hander threw 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball with 10 strikeouts during his lone start in the minor leagues this season, and he's in a pretty favorable position at home against a beatable Colorado lineup. Rodriguez is a fine streaming option for fantasy managers in AL-only or deep mixed leagues, and he could keep his rotation spot with a successful performance.

The Toronto Blue Jays are calling up Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez from Triple-A Buffalo, according to sources. He should officially be activated on Saturday during the series versus the visiting Colorado Rockies. The 27-year-old tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed, three walks and 10 strikeouts in his first two starts in the minors with Buffalo before getting his first big-league call-up. Before signing with Toronto this offseason, Rodriguez spent the last four years in Japan, although he didn't pitch at all with a club in 2023. There's clear long-term upside with Rodriguez, but fantasy managers may want to temper expectations initially, as he could start out in a relief role in the majors. If Rodriguez does take a rotation spot, he could be bumping Bowden Francis out.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitching prospect Yariel Rodriguez had a debut to remember for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. Signed out of Cuba on February 9 of this year, Rodriguez has quickly put his name on the map with four innings of no-hit ball. He also had six strikeouts with one walk. Rodriguez has had quite the journey as he left Cuba and became a set up man in Japan, before sitting out last season in hopes to be released and available for MLB ballclubs. The 27-year-old, who signed a four-year, $32 million deal is said to prefer starting over relief work and Tuesday's performance should help convince the Blue Jays to keep him as a starter. With the ability to rack up strikeouts and limit runs throughout his previous baseball stops, Rodriguez is worth rostering in dynasty leagues with redraft managers keeping a close eye on how he's doing. For now, he will remain part of a strong 1-2 combo of him and fellow pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann for Buffalo.

The Toronto Blue Jays optioned pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (back) to Triple-A Buffalo, per MLB's Francys Romero. The 27-year-old, who signed a five-year, $32 million deal this off-season, has been dealing with back spasms this spring and could not properly build up his workload. He is expected to get between two and three starts at Triple-A before rejoining the team, potentially still in a starter's role. Rodriguez still has plenty of time to become a fantasy contributor in 2024, but fantasy managers should keep an eye out for further updates over the coming weeks.

Toronto Blue Jays rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (back) felt good coming out of his side session in camp on Sunday and is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Friday. Rodriguez is dealing with back spasms in spring training and has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game. The 26-year-old Cuban hurler is progressing, but he's unlikely to be ready by Opening Day in late March as the Blue Jays continue to stretch him out for a starting role. Rodriguez is an intriguing arm for the Blue Jays in the long-term, but he didn't pitch with an affiliated club at all in 2023 and is likely to be ramped up in the minors leagues early in 2024 before eventually becoming an option in the big leagues. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues should temper their expectations for Rodriguez, who will turn 27 in March.

Toronto Blue Jays Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez finally reported to camp over the weekend and threw his first bullpen session of spring training after signing a five-year, $32 million deal in the offseason. "He's got a lot of weapons. He's got just about every pitch in the book from different angles," pitching coach Pete Walker said. "He's got a slight hesitation in the delivery. There are certainly some things there that are interesting, and we'll just have to kind of fine-tune a little bit and find out what will really work the best at the major-league level." Toronto plans to stretch Rodriguez out as a starter this spring, but they'll take a cautious approach with him after he sat out in 2023 while preparing for his transition to the big leagues. The 26-year-old has a lot of long-term potential, but with a strict innings limit likely imposed on him in 2024, he'll have a low fantasy ceiling.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is working through a visa issue and has yet to arrive at spring training. However, the issue is expected to get worked out soon and the team expects him to arrive any day. The 26-year-old Cuban native has been playing in Japan over the last three seasons and was primarily used as a reliever but the Blue Jays plan to use him as a starter. Blue Jays manager John Schneider wants to stretch him out this spring and see how things go but he also said they'll be cautious with Rodriguez because he's had a long layoff. Ultimately, he could end up being used as a swingman for the Jays if he isn't able to maintain a steady rotation spot. He's still an intriguing name for fantasy purposes but it's hard to spend meaningful draft capital on him with his role not yet defined.