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Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Getting to know Ben Cowles, the utility player Toronto claimed off waivers
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Photo credit: © Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 19, 2026, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 19, 2026, 04:10 EST
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On Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays claimed Ben Cowles off waivers.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Brandon Valenzuela. In this article, we’ll take a look at the newest Blue Jay, Ben Cowles.
The 26-year-old was drafted in the 10th round of the 2021 draft by the New York Yankees out of Maryland. Post draft, Cowles mainly spent time with their Single-A team, slashing .237/.342/.433 with four home runs in 114 plate appearances, but finishing the season with a 36.8 K%.
In his first full professional season, Cowles mainly spent his season in Single-A but got a look in High-A. Overall, he slashed .272/.375/.427 with seven home runs in 355 plate appearances. Aside from nine plate appearances in Triple-A, Cowles’ 2023 season was spent with the Yankees’ High-A team, where he slashed .254/.356/.393 with 10 home runs, with a 12.4 BB% and 27.5 K%.
Cowles started to improve as a hitter in 2024, slashing .294/.376/.472 with the Yankees’ Double-A team in 2024, hitting nine home runs, but more importantly dropping his K% to 17.7%. Before the 2024 trade deadline, Cowles was traded to the Chicago Cubs for former Blue Jay, Mark Leiter Jr., and was added to the Cubs 40-man roster to end the season.
The Rochester, New York native hit the Triple-A wall in 2025, slashing .238/.304/.382 with nine home runs in 462 plate appearances, with a 28.6 K% and 7.1 BB%. He did so poorly, in fact, that Cowles was designated for assignment and claimed by the Cubs’ cross town rivals, the Chicago White Sox. He hit worse in 15 games with the White Sox’s Triple-A team, slashing .220/.277/.288 with no home runs in 65 plate appearances.
Cowles returned to the Cubs, as they claimed him off waivers once the White Sox signed Drew Romo, but when the Cubs signed Shelby Miller on February 15th, he was once again DFA’ed, being claimed by the Blue Jays.
The 26-year-old, who celebrated his birthday the same day he was DFA’ed, is a utility infielder who has some pop, can hit for a solid average, has a good eye at the plate, but whiffs a ton. Steamer projects he’ll slash .215/.272/.321 if he gets the call to the big leagues, with ZiPS projecting him to slashed .213/.278/.315 with seven home runs in 490 plate appearances if he gets a legitimate opportunity
But to get that legitimate opportunity, Cowles will need to hit like he did in 2024, hitting for a high average, being a power threat, and avoiding a high strikeout rate. Easier said than done, but hey, the Jays have already had success taking a flier on a Rochester-born utility player.
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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