A former Blue Jays top prospect is staying put in Minnesota, or at least, in the farm system.

Kendry Rojas, who was traded alongside outfielder Alan Roden in exchange for reliever Louie Varland and infielder Ty France at the trade deadline last summer, was protected alongside five other prospects earlier today.

With today being the deadline for 40-man roster additions to protect internal players from the Rule 5 Draft, there was a flurry of transactions across the league. The Blue Jays added left-hander Ricky Tiedemann to the roster to protect him from the draft, while numerous other teams did the same thing and also let some roster players go, designating them for assignment to clear the way for prospects.

Signed by the Jays out of Cuba in 2020, Rojas climbed his way up the Jays farm system over the past five seasons, making it as far as Triple-A Buffalo before the trade. Injuries have hampered Rojas over the years, with the left-hander having yet to surpass the 100+ inning mark in his career. Despite the setbacks, he has posted some strong numbers along the way.

Through 11 outings in High-A Vancouver in 2024, he authored a 2.43 ERA with a 1.9 BB/9 and a 9.9 K/9 through 55 2/3 innings of work. This past season, his best numbers came in Double-A New Hampshire, where he made four starts and allowed just eight earned runs through 18 2/3 innings while striking out 30 batters (14.5 K/9) while walking just two (1.0 BB/9).

Following the trade, Rojas was sent to Triple-A St. Paul, where he made eight starts and allowed 20 earned runs through 27 1/3 innings (6.59 ERA). He was still striking out batters at a high rate (9.2 K/9), but he struggled with his command, issuing 23 walks (7.6 BB/9). The results were mixed for the 22-year-old, who had four outings with the Saints where he allowed one earned run or fewer, but the other four were tough, allowing four or more runs, highlighted by a seven-run outing against the Louisville Bats, where he could only muster one out.

Rojas is currently ranked as the Twins’ #5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, with scouts raving about his mid-90s fastball while mixing in a slider and changeup to help with the strikeout numbers. Now on the 40-man roster, Rojas will likely burn an option this spring and start the year in Triple-A, with a shot in the Twins rotation on the horizon in 2026 if he can stay healthy and carry a larger workload.