Yariel Rodríguez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

In high-leverage relief spots this year, Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodriguez has a .091 average against and a 33.3% strikeout rate. In low-leverage spots, Rodriguez has a .286 average against and a 20.5% strikeout rate. His soft-contact rate jumps 10.1% from low- to high-leverage spots, points out The Athletic's Mitch Bannon. The 28-year-old has averaged 96 mph with his fastball this year, but in the seventh and eighth innings in Thursday's win over the Los Angeles Angels, he touched 97.7 mph and showed more spin on all of his pitches. The Blue Jays could start leaning more on Rodriguez in late-inning, high-leverage situations, especially since they've been relying heavily on Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia and Brendon Little. Rodriguez is currently sporting a 4.26 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 21 strikeouts and eight walks in 19 innings over 16 outings (one start) in his second big-league season.

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said that right-hander Yariel Rodriguez will be stretched out for a starting role in spring training and will compete for the fifth spot in the Opening Day starting rotation. Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling says to expect Jake Bloss, Adam Macko, Eric Lauer and Adam Kloffenstein to provide the next layer of starting depth at Triple-A Buffalo. As things stand now with health aside this spring, Rodriguez should be the No. 6 starter behind Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Bowden Francis and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer. The 27-year-old Cuban hurler will most likely be in Toronto's rotation at some point in 2025, but expect him to open up the year in the bullpen, barring an injury this spring from any of the five names in front of him. In 21 starts as a rookie in 2024, Y-Rod went 1-8 with a 4.47 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodriguez could be bumped from the starting rotation in Toronto in 2025 to the bullpen after the team signed future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on Thursday. However, even if Rodriguez opens the year as a reliever, there's a good bet he'll be starting games at some point with Scherzer over 40 and Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios all in their 30s. Toronto could also mix in Rodriguez as a starter in April, when the team has a stretch of 13 games in a row. Even if the Blue Jays employ a standard five-man rotation, Rodriguez will almost certainly be stretched out as a starter in spring training. The 27-year-old is reportedly open to a swing role after posting a 4.47 ERA with 85 K's and 40 walks in 86 2/3 innings over 21 starts a year ago. The Cuban hurler hasn't gone over 100 innings since 2018, so a swing role is probably ideal for both him and Toronto.