Blue Jays lose former third-ranked prospect to Reds on Opening Day

The Toronto Blue Jays wanted to ensure they had room on their Opening Day roster for Daniel Vogelbach and Brian Serven, and they lost Yosver Zulueta to do so.

It was announced earlier this morning that the Jays had designated Zulueta for assignment, and not long after, the Cincinnati Reds scooped him up. The 26-year-old was listed as the Jays’ 17th-best prospect but was as high as third a few seasons ago.

The #BlueJays chose to DFA RHP Yosver Zulueta to clear space on the 40-man.

Zulueta stayed afloat as our No. 17 prospect this season based on the upside of his raw talent, but it's long past time for that to turn into consistent production. Still, an arm they'll hope to keep.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 28, 2024

Zulueta appeared in 45 games with Triple-A Buffalo last season, registering a 4.08 ERA with 73 strikeouts through 64 innings. Though mainly considered a reliever, he did start seven games last season.

By all accounts, Zulueta still possesses great potential. If the Reds can help him work through his control issues, this could turn out to be a great claim on their part.

With this move now complete, the Blue Jays are set to get their 2024 season underway. They are in Tampa Bay to take on the Rays today in the first of a four-game series. Jose Berrios will be getting the ball for the Blue Jays, while Zach Eflin will be on the mound for the Rays.

After this series is over, the Blue Jays will head to Houston to take on the Astros and will then go head-to-head with the New York Yankees before finally returning to Toronto. Their home opener will be on April 8 versus the Seattle Mariners.

This season is very important for the Jays, as some serious changes could be coming if they fail to do much damage. Despite having plenty of talent, this core has struggled to make any sort of noise in the playoffs and is entering this season after being swept in last year’s wild-card series against the Minnesota Twins.

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