Blue Jays cut ties with LHP to make room for Tyler Rogers signing

Billy Heyen

Blue Jays cut ties with LHP to make room for Tyler Rogers signing image

The Toronto Blue Jays bolstered their bullpen in a big way with the signing of submarine-tossing free agent pitcher Tyler Rogers.

But when they officially announced Rogers' signing on Monday, it came with a catch. They had to clear a roster spot, too.

That meant they designated Justin Bruihl for assignment. He gets taken off the 40-man roster, and he has to clear waivers.

If Bruihl clears waivers, he can remain with the Blue Jays' organization.

Bruihl is a 28-year old left-handed pitcher who was originally undrafted out of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

He made it to the majors initially with the Dodgers in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 65 games with the Dodgers, Bruihl had a 3.65 ERA.

MORE: Christian Yelich shows his puppy a proper appreciation of Tavon Austin

He then went to the Rockies for a short, seven-game stint (14.73 ERA).

In 2024, Bruihl appeared in seven MLB games with the Pirates and had a 9.53 ERA.

Bruihl came to the Blue Jays for 2025. In 15 games in the majors, he had a 5.27 ERA with 18 strikeouts (7 walks) in 13.2 innings pitched.

The southpaw also appeared in 39 games at Triple-A Buffalo, where he had a 3.43 ERA.

Bruihl is clearly a solid organizational depth piece but not a surefire MLB reliever at this point. The Blue Jays surely wouldn't mind him making it through waivers so they can keep him around.

Lefty relievers don't grow on trees, so another team could consider whether Bruihl can help them out instead.

More MLB news:

Senior Editor