The Blue Jays and right-hander Adam Kloffenstein have agreed to a minor league deal, stories Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The righty may also be in huge league camp with the Jays as a non-roster invitee.
Kloffenstein, 24, returns to his authentic membership. The Jays chosen him within the third spherical of the 2018 draft. For the following few years, he was a considerably notable prospect in Toronto’s system. Baseball America ranked him within the center components of the Blue Jays’ high 30 from 2019 to 2022. On the 2023 deadline, the Jays flipped him to the Cardinals as a part of the Jordan Hicks commerce.
The Playing cards added Kloffenstein to their 40-man roster final offseason to maintain him out of the Rule 5 draft. That allowed him to make his main league debut in 2024, although he tossed just one inning. His Triple-A numbers weren’t superb on the 12 months, as he allowed 4.74 earned runs per 9 innings over his 17 begins. His 49% floor ball charge was robust however his 19.4% strikeout charge and 10.9% stroll charge have been each subpar.
After that uninspiring 12 months, the Playing cards determined to maneuver on. Kloffenstein was non-tendered in November, getting despatched to free company with out being placed on waivers. That allowed him to return to the Jays on this minor league pact.
From 2021 to 2023, Kloffenstein tossed 341 1/3 minor league innings, most of that with the Blue Jays. The ends in that point have been a bit higher than in his 2024 season. His 4.85 ERA nonetheless wasn’t particularly spectacular however his 24% strikeout charge was considerably higher than final 12 months’s clip, with comparable quantities of walks and floor balls.
The Jays are lots aware of Kloffenstein from his time within the system, so maybe they imagine there’s a method to get him again on observe after a difficult season. The Jays have Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and José Berríos locked into three rotation spots. Bowden Francis will most likely get an opportunity to construct off his robust end in 2024. Guys like Yariel Rodríguez, Jake Bloss and Adam Macko are candidates for an additional spot. The Jays have been seeking to improve that group this offseason and will push everybody down a peg however Kloffenstein offers them some non-roster depth alongside Eric Lauer. If Kloffenstein finally will get a roster spot, he nonetheless has choices and only a single day of service time.
