Blue Jays DFA pitching prospect Yosver Zulueta ahead of Opening Day

Zulueta was signed in 2019, but missed all of the 2020 season due to the pandemic as well as Tommy John surgery. In 2021, he blew out his ACL during the first inning of his first game in the organization, leading him to miss the rest of the year.

The Cuban-born right-handed pitcher made his long-awaited debut in 2022 and was terrific at all the “A” levels. He posted a 3.72 ERA and a 3.32 FIP in 55.2 innings pitched, along with a 33.9 K%. However, he struggled with walks as he had a 12.9 BB%, but that’s understandable given his long layoff.

Zulueta spent the entire 2023 season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he had a 4.08 ERA and a 4.07 FIP in 64 innings pitched, along with a 25.4 K% and a 15.7 BB%. While he can touch over 100 mph and has good secondary pitches, the command issues eventually moved him to the bullpen.

There’s no chance that Zulueta will be in the Blue Jays organization by next Thursday. Sitting in the mid-to-high 90s with the fastball with good secondary pitches almost guarantees that one team will take a flier on him. On top of that, Zulueta was ranked as Toronto’s third-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline in 2023.

However, the Blue Jays still have the ability to trade him, so hopefully that’s the path they take, even if the return won’t be great.