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Blue Jays prospect Jake Bloss discusses returning to play in Arizona Fall League
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Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
Oct 9, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 8, 2026, 15:43 EDT
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The past two seasons haven’t gone the way Jake Bloss or the Toronto Blue Jays organization have hoped for. 
Following a start on May 3, 2025, in which Bloss left with right elbow discomfort, his season would come to a close. Ten days later it was announced that Bloss needed to undergo right elbow surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. 
The injury kept Bloss out of game action for over a year, as he worked through the rehab process of getting his arm back to where he needed it to be to pitch in games. On Tuesday, Bloss spoke with MLB.com about the recovery process, what he’s worked on since being acquired by the Blue Jays, and why he decided to take part in the Arizona Fall League. 
“They’ve got the rehab process pretty mapped out, but a lot of it is kind of up to you. How do you want to spend that time? You can spend it being productive or unproductive,” Bloss said. “I think if you spend 12 months, even if you’re taking small steps every day, 12 months you’re going to be a lot better off.” 
In the midst of a disappointing 2024 campaign, the Blue Jays opted to become sellers at the trade deadline. On July 29, 2024, the Blue Jays traded Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros in exchange for Bloss, Will Wagner, and Joey Loperfido. 
Bloss had made his MLB debut earlier that season and had started three career games, in which he posted a 6.94 ERA and 1.63 WHIP before joining the Blue Jays organization. Following the trade, Bloss was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, where he has spent the majority of his time continuing to develop his repertoire. 
“I feel like we worked on a lot of stuff because I’ve been with them for two years now,” Bloss said. “Whether it’s pitch design, velocity, mechanics or time to the plate, I could go on for a long time.” 
Bloss last appeared on a mound this season on July 11. Following that outing, the 25-year-old was diagnosed with a teres major injury in his right shoulder, which ultimately ended his 2026 campaign. Bloss worked his way across three minor-league levels during his rehab from elbow surgery before finally making his way back to the Bisons. 
Across five starts with the Bisons, Bloss went 0-3 with an 8.69 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. The right-hander struck out 10 batters over his 19.2 innings and was hit at a .333 clip. After throwing only 39.1 total innings this season, the decision was made for the Blue Jays’ No. 11-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline to continue the 2026 campaign in the AFL, a spot that is good for building up specific workload goals. 
“The reason we went with the Fall League is because in Winter Ball, the goal is to win a championship for your team. That’s what they care about, which is what every team should care about, but if the plan is to throw two to three innings, but they need to win the game, you’re going to be in the game as long as they think you’re going to help them win,” Bloss said. “Here, you can kind of have a little bit stricter of a regimen coming off an injury. I think that’s usually a positive. So, it’s nice to have an environment where you can experiment with pitch shape and mixes with no consequences.” 
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