Blue Jays: Yariel Rodriguez strikes out two in his return to the big leagues

"For the outing, Rodriguez was sitting in the 96 MPH range with his fastball and low 90s with his splitter to get the strikeouts. Rodriguez did not get a feel for the slider in this outing, using it three times in his at-bat against Caminero, which resulted in the walk."

Rodriguez returned to the big leagues after beginning 2026 in Triple-A Buffalo. He had been outrighted from the roster in the offseason and did not make the Jays’ bullpen out of spring training. In an AL East game against the Rays, Kevin Gausman allowed seven runs early, leading to four relievers being used, with Rodriguez pitching the bottom half of the eighth. Rodriguez opened with a four-pitch walk to Junior Caminero, then struck out Jonathan Aranda on a 90 MPH inside splitter. He retired Yandy Diaz using two fastballs and a splitter. His fastball sat in the mid-90s and his splitter in the low 90s, while his slider was less effective. He posted a 2.63 ERA in Buffalo across 11 outings and 13 2/3 innings.

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