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Looking at which Blue Jays’ prospects are Rule 5 eligible
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Photo credit: © Jonathan Dyer - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Sep 3, 2025, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 3, 2025, 01:19 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are going to have to make a few tough decisions this off-season.
Chief among them is protecting players from the Rule 5 draft. There are quite a few players of note who are Rule 5 eligible, and to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, they’ll have to be added to the 40-man roster.
In this article, we’ll look at noteworthy prospects whom the Blue Jays may protect this off-season.

Ricky Tiedemann

Once a top 100 prospect, Ricky Tiedemann has dealt with injuries the past three seasons and is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. When he’s at his best, the left-handed starter sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and touches the upper-90s. He also features a devastating slider and a plus changeup, while his command can be a bit erratic.
Thanks to his potential, there’s almost no chance that Tiedemann isn’t added to the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster

Yohendrick Piñango

Acquired before the 2024 trade deadline, Yohendrick Piñango is one of a handful of position players who have broken out in 2025. In Double-A, the outfielder slashed .298/.406/.522 with eight home runs in 192 plate appearances for a 169 wRC+. Since joining the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he’s hovering around average with the bat in Triple-A, but has hit seven home runs.
Piñango is a top 30 Blue Jays’ prospect, so they may go out of their way to protect him.

Victor Arias

Another top 30 prospect in the upper minors is Victor Arias. He hit the ground running in High-A, slashing .294/.381/.437 with five home runs in 318 plate appearances for a 127 wRC+. Although he started his tenure hot in Double-A, he has an 82 wRC+ with two home runs in over 150 plate appearances.
Arias has the potential to be a five-tool player, but his results in Double-A may be reason enough to leave him unprotected.

Josh Kasevich

Josh Kasevich has missed most of the 2025 season due to injury, only joining the Bisons in mid-August. He’s been a below-average hitter this season with the Bisons, but had a strong 2024 season and is good defensively at shortstop.
It seems unlikely that the Blue Jays will add him to the 40-man roster due to that injury, but he’s the type of player who may get claimed thanks to his strong hitting ability and defence.

Riley Tirotta

Teams passed over Riley Tirotta in the last Rule 5 draft, but that may not be the case this off-season. With the Buffalo Bisons, the 27-year-old is slashing .283/.373/.448 with 12 home runs in 407 plate appearances. While his strikeout rate is high, Tirotta can play multiple positions and is a good bat to have off the bench.
It seems plausible that the Blue Jays add Tirotta to the 40-man roster.

Brandon Valenzuela

Acquired before the 2025 trade deadline, Brandon Valenzuela has the defensive ability to be the Blue Jays’ catcher of the future. While the bat is a little lacking (with some slight pop), he’s an excellent receiver and has a strong arm.
Depending on what the Blue Jays do with Tyler Heineman this off-season, the Blue Jays may look to add the 24-year-old. They may even add him anyway, as they only have Alejandro Kirk and Heineman on the 40-man roster.

Edward Duran

Sticking with Rule 5 eligible catchers, Edward Duran is the Blue Jays’ top catching prospect in the system. With the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, he slashed .296/.378/.439 with five home runs in 291 plate appearances. After a tough start with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, he has played well over the past month or so.
Although he’s shown to be solid with the bat this season, Duran’s calling card is his strong defensive abilities behind the plate. However, he’s only in High-A and will probably start next season there as well. It seems incredibly unlikely that he’ll be selected, much less protected.

Yondrei Rojas

Yondrei Rojas has become one of the Blue Jays’ best relief prospects, authoring a 1.71 ERA and 2 FIP in 31.2 innings pitched. In High-A,  he had a 38.3 K% and 6.4 BB%, although his K% has dropped to 17.2% with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
His fastball averages around the mid-90s, but has maxed out at 97 mph, a bit surprising given his 5’10”, 180 lbs stature. The 22-year-old also has a cutter, slider, and changeup. Come the off-season, Rojas will become eligible for the Rule 5 draft for the first time in his career, but it’s unlikely he’ll be protected.

Other Rule 5 draft-eligible prospects

There are a few other notable players who are Rule 5 eligible but have a low likelihood of being protected and selected. Three of those players, Ryan Jennings, Pat Gallagher, and T.J. Brock, were all selected in the 2022 draft. 
Jennings had a good start to his season in Double-A, but he hasn’t put up great numbers in Triple-A. Gallagher has pitched well in both High-A and Double-A, while Brock hasn’t pitched at all this season as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Trenton Wallace was selected in 2021 and has a 3.95 ERA and 4.68 FIP in 54.2 innings pitched, making 10 starts in 27 appearances for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He strikes out a lot of batters, but has had command issues in 2025.
Phil Clarke is another catcher of note, as he has once again been above average when healthy this season, slashing .278/.384/.368 with two home runs in 159 Triple-A plate appearances.
Acquired before the 2024 trade deadline, Eddinson Paulino has hit 11 home runs this season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, but has been below-average with a high K% throughout the season. Dasasn Brown was promoted to Triple-A recently, but he’s had a poor season with the Fisher Cats. Still, Brown’s speed and defensive ability could land him a big league roster spot in the future.
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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