Blue Jays: Rule 5 selection Sparkman to miss time with a broken thumb

After striking gold a year ago with Joe Biagini, the Toronto Blue Jays most recent Rule 5 selection suffered a setback on Thursday.

Glenn Sparkman, 24 years old, was claimed by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2016 Rule 5 Draft from the Kansas City Royals.

He had been with the Royals organization since being selected in the 20th round of the 2013 MLB Draft and was rated by Baseball America as the Royals 17th best prospect prior to the 2015 season.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015, Sparkman pitched to a combined 5.22 ERA last season in 60.1 innings spread throughout four different minor league levels, the highest being double-A.

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This setback comes an inopportune time for Sparkman, who was looking to establish himself as a long reliever in the Blue Jays bullpen.

Broken thumbs usually have a recovery time of around 3-6 weeks, considering the fact that the injury occurred on his throwing hand, it is safe to assume that Sparkman will be sidelined for the remainder of Spring Training.

As a Rule 5 pick, Sparkman must stay on the Blue Jays MLB roster all season and be active for at least 90 days.

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Furthermore, he may not be optioned or designated to the Minors. The Blue Jays can waive him at any time, but if he clears waivers, he must then be offered back to the Royal, effectively eliminating the Rule 5 selection.