Blue Jays’ Kendry Rojas Builds Toward A Bright Future

Kendry Rojas had only been pitching for a few months when the Blue Jays signed him for $215,000 in the fall of 2020, after the international signing period was extended due to the pandemic.

A converted outfielder, the lefthanded Rojas featured a live arm, athletic frame with room to build strength and a pitch mix that screamed potential.  

Now 20, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Cuba native is building upon a strong foundational 2022 season mostly spent at Low-A Dunedin. He was off to a strong start back in the Florida State League, recording a 1.56 ERA through four appearances while striking out 21 and walking six in 17.1 innings.

More important than Rojas’ pitching line is a tick up in his velocity. He topped out near 97 mph with his sinker during his first start on April 12 versus Tampa and was sitting 93.5 with room to grow.  

Driving that jump is a “commitment to his routines—he’s still learning what that looks like as a pitcher—and a full commitment to his physical programming this offseason,” Blue Jays farm director Joe Sclafani said.

“He definitely has the frame to throw pretty hard. As he gains strength and continues to get comfortable with those routines he’s seen some positive gains.”   

Also positive has been the progress on his slider, which generated a high whiff rate. He generated eight during a scoreless four-inning, one-hit, four-strikeout gem on April 26 against Bradenton, when he also mixed in his changeup effectively, getting three whiffs on three swings.   

All that gives Rojas a “definite chance to be a traditional starter,” said Sclafani, which is why building up his workload is also a priority this season. 

A lat injury cost Rojas a couple of months last season, when had three outings of five innings in 13 total games. He already has one five-inning start under his belt, versus Palm Beach on April 19, after throwing a season-high 82 pitches over 4.1 innings in his season debut.