Blue Jays release three minor league prospects, including two past trade acquisitions

Per Minor League transaction logs, Thomas Ruwe, Edisson Gonzalez and Tyler Keenan have been released by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ruwe, a relief pitcher, was an undrafted free agent who played his college ball at Nebraska-Kearney and Missouri Western. He spent time at three separate levels of the minor leagues for the Jays, making it to Double-A New Hampshire last season. He was overall effective during his time in High-A Vancouver last season, producing a 2.11 ERA over 21.1 innings with a 13.1 K/9. 

It seems as though his control issues caught up to him after his promotion, as his ERA ballooned to 8.10 with a 12.2 BB/9 over 13.1 Double-A innings for the Fisher Cats.

Another pitcher, Gonzalez was acquired in the 2019 trade of Eric Sogard to the Tampa Bay Rays. Only 19 at the time of the trade, Gonzalez showed some promise in the lower levels of the minor leagues.

He didn’t pitch in the Jays system until this past season, when he made appearances in seven games, five of them starts. After five scoreless innings in Rookie Ball he’d be promoted to the Dunedin Blue Jays. He was an overall effective pitcher there, producing a 3.09 ERA and 0.857 WHIP.

The man he was acquired for, Sogard, was a pleasant surprise for the Blue Jays during that 2019 season. He signed a minor league deal and spent some time in Buffalo prior to his promotion. His versatility and .840 OPS gave him enough value to be swapped for Gonzalez at the time. Sogard has since retired from MLB, but did appear in the 2023 World Baseball Classic on the Czech Republic squad.

The last of the three, Keenan is a corner infielder who came to Toronto in the trade of Ryan Borucki to Seattle. Keenan enjoyed a solid fifteen games in Vancouver after the trade, hitting to a .857 OPS while playing both first and third base. He’d be promoted to Double-A New Hampshire where his development would hit a snag. In seven games he’d manage only a single hit in 22 at bats.

Borucki, a prospect once thought to be a future contributor in the rotation, would throw 19 innings for the Mariners last season. He produced a 4.26 ERA before finishing the season on the IL with a forearm strain. Borucki was non-tendered this winter and ended up signing a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. He’s currently pitching for their Triple-A affiliate in Iowa.