Blue Jays' 11th round draft pick impressing in spring with strong starts

The Toronto Blue Jays invited quite a few notable prospects to spring training, though the major breakout stories have come from all walks of life. Former Silver Slugger Eloy Jiménez has a 194 wRC+ through six games, while 27-year-old Triple-A stalwart Rafael Lantigua is walking three times as often as he's struck out.

And yet, one of the best narratives in camp right now is Grant Rogers, a 24-year-old who was selected in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Through two appearances (five innings) this spring, the right-hander has recorded a 3.60 ERA, including a dominant performance against the Detroit Tigers once the calendar flipped to March.

In fact, since allowing the first four batters he saw to reach base against the New York Yankees, Rogers has sat down 14 of the last 16 that have come up to face him. Slated for a jump up to Triple-A at some point this year, the McNeese State product may be accelerating his own prospect timeline with his strong performance during spring training.

Grant Rogers could be pivotal rotation depth for Blue Jays in 2026

Though the need for rotation depth has quieted down in the wake of Max Scherzer's return to Toronto, it's clear that having some quality options in Buffalo will be paramount for the Blue Jays to succeed this year. Shane Bieber has already been ruled out for the start of the season, while Bowden Francis won't throw at all after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

As of this writing, the Blue Jays' Opening Day rotation figures to line up as: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, José Berrios, and Cody Ponce, with Scherzer and Eric Lauer serving as the immediate backups. There are quite a few other options on the 40-man roster already, but that shouldn't stop Rogers from climbing the ranks after his strong 2025 campaign. In fact, Rogers just made his debut on the Blue Jays Top 30 prospects list. With the newest rankings released earlier this week, Rogers sits as the 30th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Last year, Rogers completed more than 150 innings across two levels (mostly at Double-A New Hampshire), logging a 3.47 ERA and 3.66 FIP. His 4.2% walk rate at Double-A really stood out, as did his 50% ground-ball rate for the entire season. He doesn't have the raw stuff to front a pitching staff or rack up reams of strikeouts, but his high floor and voluminous workload earned him the No. 22 spot on FanGraphs' list of top Blue Jays prospects heading into the 2026 season.

Really, he's exactly the kind of depth pitcher that every organization needs: dependable and capable of eating lots of innings. Due to be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after 2026, Rogers has a lot to play for this year. Hopefully, his Spring Training performance is a sign of things to come.