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Looking at 5 Blue Jays prospect in a position to bounce-back in 2026
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Photo credit: © Mark J. Rebilas - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 8, 2026, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 8, 2026, 02:16 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays had plenty of prospects who broke out in 2025.
From Trey Yesavage, to Gage Stanifer, to Johnny King, and others, the Blue Jays farm system went from one of the worst in the league to middle of the pack. To continue to improve the farm system, the Jays will need some more breakouts in 2026, as well as a few prospects to rebound.
In this article, we’ll take a look at five prospects in a position to bounce-back in 2026.

Damiano Palmegiani

The Blue Jays liked Damiano Palmegiani so much that they drafted him twice, once out of Vauxhall High School in 2018, and then again out of the College of Southern Nevada in 2021. He signed shortly after the Jays drafted him a second time and received 48 plate appearances in 17 games with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays.
Palmegiani’s calling card has always been his power, hitting 24 home runs in 2022 between Single-A and High-A, then 23 home runs in 2023, mostly spent in Double-A. However, four of those home runs came in Triple-A toward the end of the season, as he slashed .284/.427/.554 in 96 plate appearances with the Buffalo Bisons.
Optimism was high for Palmegiani in 2024, and he actually led the Blue Jays’ farm system in home runs with 21. Unfortunately, he slashed just .210/.311/.381 in 501 plate appearances with the Bisons that season. His struggles continued into 2025.
Last season, he appeared in 52 games with the Bisons, slashing .159/.299/.232 with a home run in 167 plate appearances. He also spent some time in Double-A, where he slashed .200/.294/.300.
There’s still hope for Palmegiani. For starters, he played in Venezuela’s Winter League where he had much better results, slashing .274/.370/.435 with two home runs in 73 plate appearances.
The other positive is that even with just one home run in 2025, his 69 home runs since 2022 is second in the system, as only Orelvis Martínez (who is no longer with the organization) has more.
It’s clear that the Jays have a lot of time for his power, and hopefully he rebounds in 2026.

Arjun Nimmala

All things told, Arjun Nimmala didn’t have a bad season, but there was a significant drop off in the second half. In 120 games with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, he slashed .224/.313/.381 with 13 home runs in 543 plate appearances, with a 10.1 BB% and 21.4 K%.
It was a tale of two halves for the Blue Jays’ third-best prospect. From the start of the season until Jun. 20, the shortstop slashed .270/.358/.484 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles, and a two triples in 285 plate appearances for a 130 wRC+ From Jun. 21 until the end of the season, Nimmala slashed just .173/.264/.267 with  two home runs in 258 plate appearances, hitting 13 doubles and a triple in the process. As you can imagine, Nimmala’s wRC+ during this span was far below average, sitting at 50.
His struggles make sense. Not only did The Athletic’s Keith Law indicate that Nimmala dealt with injuries in 2025, but he also played in High-A as a 19-year-old. Not many prospects did that, as there were only seven qualified hitters 19 or younger in High-A last season. Additionally, Nimmala played in the Northwest League, which has just five other teams.
The Jays’ shortstop prospect will probably start 2026 in High-A, but if he hits like he did to start 2025, a prospect to Double-A could be in order, an impressive feat for a 20-year-old.

Enmanuel Bonilla

During the 2023 International Free Agency period, the Blue Jays and outfielder Enmanuel Bonilla agreed to a signing bonus of $4.1 million, the largest IFA bonus the Jays have ever given out.
It looked like a good bet after the 2023 season, as he slashed .307/.407/.429 with three home runs in 226 plate appearances with the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays. Over those 50 games, Bonilla failed to reach base just two times.
Unfortunately, his move stateside hasn’t been good. In 2024 with the FCL Jays, he slashed .186/.257/.299 with four home runs in 214 plate appearances for a 56 wRC+, with a 35.5 K% to boot. Bonilla followed that up with a shockingly similar slash line of .186/.260/.282 in 2025, hitting four home runs in 217 plate appearances for a 59 wRC+. One positive is that he dropped his K% to 27.2%.
Maybe the 2026 season is where Bonilla figures it out, because he has legitimate raw power.

Landen Maroudis

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, Landen Maroudis briefly hit the ground running to begin his 2024 season, pitching 10.2 innings with a 0.84 ERA, a 2.43 FIP, and a 31.6 K%. Unfortunately, he left in the third professional game he pitched in and required Tommy John surgery.
Evidently, he had the brace variation, as he was back in May. Results wise, it wasn’t a good season for Maroudis, as he had a 6.55 ERA and 6.11 FIP in 45.1 innings pitched, with a 15.7 K% and 20.8 BB%. In his 12 Single-A starts, Maroduis’ BB% sat at 22.9%, which is concerning to say the least.
According to this Sportsnet article written by Shi Davidi in the summer, the Jays told Maroudis not to worry about results. But you have to imagine that will change once the 2026 season begins.

Justin Kelly

I wanted to include one reliever and one relatively unknown prospect, Justin Kelly is both. After four seasons with the University of Utah, Kelly signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays in 2021. His numbers weren’t great in 2021 and 2022, but had a strong 2023 campaign, posting a 1.80 ERA and 4.97 FIP in 45 innings pitched.
The FIP that year was rather high, but Kelly had a terrific 2024 season, posting a 2.43 ERA and 2.92 FIP in 33.1 innings pitched, with a career-best 23.7 K%, as well as an 8.1 BB%. The 27-year-old began the 2025 on the injured list, one of two times he was on the IL in 2025. Overall, he finished his tenure with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats with a 7.01 ERA and 5.20 FIP in 25.2 innings pitched, with a 16.4 K% and 10.2 BB%.
Before the injuries, Kelly proved to be an effective reliever at the Double-A level, and it’s a real possibility he is again in 2026.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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