Multiple top Blue Jays prospects miss out on Opening Day roster spot with latest cuts

As spring training pushes on, the Toronto Blue Jays have continued to trim up their overall roster. Multiple players were recently optioned to minor league camp, including Will Robertson, Alan Roden, Adam Macko and Damiano Palmegiani. All of them were sent down last week.

On Tuesday, the club took to social media (X link) to announce that three more players were sent down, officially ending their respective bids for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Per the club, Addison Barger (Jays Journal's No. 4 prospect), Orelvis Martinez (No. 3) and Yosver Zulueta (No. 14) have all been sent down to Triple-A, where each of the quartet will begin their 2024 season in the coming weeks.

While none of them are particularly shocking, there was at least somewhat of a chance that one of Barger or Martinez made their way to the Opening Day roster thanks to their prospect pedigree and positional versatility. Instead, they will each report to Buffalo and kick off their season there.

Barger, 24, is a third baseman and right fielder by trade and is one of the more exciting position players in the Blue Jays' farm system. He swings the bat from the left side and is coming off a season in which he hit .247 with a .745 OPS and 47 RBI in 94 games. This spring, he hit .357 with three runs driven in in seven games. Barger is on the Jays' 40-man roster and is almost guaranteed to make his big league debut at some point this season.

Ditto for Martinez, 22, who has immense power and had no problems showcasing it last year. The right-handed hitter connected on 28 home runs last year with a whopping 94 driven in in 125 games. While things started off rough for him, he turned his season around in a big way and is undoubtedly the top power-hitting prospect in this system. He had an .835 OPS last year and is a name to watch heading into the current campaign.

Zulueta, 26, had plenty of issues last year, including some that resulted in a late-season trip down to the Florida Complex League. The Blue Jays are high on him after he showed some dramatic improvements both on and off the field following that brief demotion. He has experience as both a starter and reliver but has shown considerably more promise as a relief pitcher. In five spring outings this year, the right-hander posted a 10.80 ERA with four walks and just two strikeouts. He could use the additional seasoning in Triple-A, but is also not that far away from a big league debut.