Right-hander James Kaprielian and the Toronto Blue Jays have reached a minor league agreement. As to the transaction record maintained by the team, the 30-year-old will be assigned to Triple-A Buffalo.
In the 2017 deadline trade for Sonny Grey, Kaprielian once one of the top pitching prospects in the New York Yankees organization was sent from New York to Oakland. After spending the following six and a half years in the A’s organisation as the former No. 16 overall draft pick, he made his big league debut during the truncated 2020 season.
He would play for the A’s for four consecutive seasons. Throughout his career, the right-hander suffered numerous shoulder ailments and had two operations. In October, Oakland placed him on outright waivers, and at the conclusion of the season, he was a free agent.
James Kaprielian Signs Minor League Contract with Blue Jays
In 2021 and 2022, Kaprielian gave a preview of what he could accomplish when he returns to health. He threw to a 4.15 ERA across 50 appearances (47 starts), striking out 221 batters over 253 ⅓ innings. But Kaprielian never made a comeback following his 2022–2023 AC joint repair. In 2023, he walked a career-high 11.1% of batters and gave up 45 runs in 61 innings (6.34 ERA).
Almost a year after undergoing shoulder surgery in August of last year, Kaprielian provides Toronto with much-needed depth in their rotation. Alek Manoah, a right-hander for the Blue Jays, underwent season-ending UCL surgery recently. After Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, and Chris Bassitt, Toronto needs a reliable fifth starter.
Right-hander rookie Yariel Rodríguez was sidelined in April due to irritation in his spine; he started a rehab assignment on May 21st. In his four outings prior to being placed on the 15-day disabled list, Rodríguez had a 4.11 ERA. This week, the 27-year-old will probably make a comeback to the Blue Jays rotation. This season, Bowden Francis has made eight appearances for Toronto (three starts) and has been struck. Francis has a 6.23 ERA after giving up six home runs and eighteen runs in 26 innings.
Kaprielian might be a good second-half option for Toronto if he can maintain his health.
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