Diving into who could be in the Buffalo Bisons rotation this season

The Toronto Blue Jays Opening Day is just around the corner but so is the Triple-A season.

On Mar. 28, the Buffalo Bisons begin their long season, hosting the Rochester Wild Wings for the first series of the season. The full picture of the team is unknown, but there’ll be plenty of position players who are either MLB-ready prospects or young players with MLB experience.

What isn’t so clear is the rotation of the Bisons. For the past couple of seasons, they’ve relied heavily on bullpen days and a few starters but that may change this season. Let’s take a look at some players who could fit into the Bisons’ rotation in 2025.

Jake Bloss

One player who is almost guaranteed to start with the Bisons as their ace is prospect Jake Bloss. Acquired in the Yusei Kikuchi deal with the Houston Astros before the 2024 trade deadline, Bloss pitched with the Bisons after the trade and posted a 6.91 ERA and a 5.87 FIP in 27.1 innings pitched, or eight starts.

It wasn’t all bad though, in his first three starts, the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher didn’t give up an earned run in 9.2 innings pitched before struggling in his fourth start by giving up eight runs in an inning and two-thirds.

Bloss has also struggled in Spring Training this season, giving up eight earned runs through his first four innings pitched. In his last appearances, Bloss struck out five in three innings of work and had a good showing at the Spring Breakout on Saturday.

There’s still work to do before Bloss is MLB ready but he’s one of their best pitching prospects and expect him to factor into the Bisons’ starting rotation.

Adam Kloffenstein

Originally drafted by the Blue Jays, Adam Kloffenstein was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2023 trade deadline for Aaron Hicks. That season saw him post a 3.24 ERA and a 3.47 FIP in 89 innings pitched with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats before the trade.

The Cardinals added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft and Kloffenstein posted a 4.74 ERA and a 5.51 FIP in 89.1 innings pitched with their Triple-A team. He even made his big league debut the same season, pitching a scoreless inning.

Due to injury, Kloffenstein has yet to pitch in Spring Training and was reassigned to the minor-league camp on Mar. 3. It’s unclear when he’ll ramp up for game action but if he returns within the first month or so, expect him to get a look in the Bisons’ rotation.

Eric Lauer

The Bisons may only have one pitcher with significant big league experience in their rotation this season, 29-year-old left-hander Eric Lauer. In 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Lauer had a 3.19 ERA and a 4.04 FIP in 118.2 innings pitched. He followed that up with a successful 2022 season, authoring a 3.69 ERA and a 4.50 FIP in 158.2 innings pitched in 29 starts.

It all came off the rails in 2023, as the lefty finished the season with a 6.56 ERA and a 7.41 FIP in 46.2 innings pitched. Lauer pitched overseas in 2024 for the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, posting a 4.93 ERA and a 4.04 FIP in 34.2 innings pitched.

If a Blue Jays starting pitcher goes down with an injury, Lauer could be the first one to receive a call-up with prior success in the bigs.

Trenton Wallace

Sticking with left-handed pitchers, Trenton Wallace is all but a lock to start in the Bisons’ rotation. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2021 draft, Wallace has always put up solid results when healthy, like his 1.79 ERA and 2.98 FIP in 40.1 innings pitched with the High-A Vancouver Canadians in 2023.

Last season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Wallace had a 2.68 ERA and a 4.37 FIP in 80.2 innings pitched, with a 29.8 K% and a 9.2 BB%. Unfortunately, Wallace struggled in his nine starts with the Buffalo Bisons, authoring a 6.27 ERA and a 7.11 FIP in 33 innings pitched.

It wasn’t the first time he struggled after a mid-season promotion. For example, he had a 6.48 ERA and a 2.68 FIP in 8.1 innings pitched in 2023 with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, although it’s a small sample size with his season-ending due to injury.

Still, Wallace is a left-handed reliever to keep an eye on because if he gets off to a hot start, he could earn a call-up at some point in 2025 if the situation is dire.

Andrew Bash

Of any Bisons’ pitcher last season, Andrew Bash made the second-most starts behind only Paolo Espino. However, Bash pitched more in a spot-starter role, with 16 of his 27 appearances coming out of the rotation.

Signed as a minor league free agent during the 2021 season, the 28-year-old righty has strung together a handful of successful seasons in the Blue Jays organization. In 2022 with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Bash posted a 3.81 ERA and a 3.49 FIP in 75.2 innings pitched, although he struggled once being called up to Triple-A.

Bash split his 2023 season between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 2.52 ERA and a 4.52 FIP in 89.1 innings pitched. Out of his 36 appearances, 11 of them were starts. Last season with the Bisons, Bash had a 2.97 ERA and a 4 FIP in 78.2 innings pitched with a 21.8 K% and a 10.6 BB%.

It’s to be seen if he is used in the same role, but the Blue Jays invited Bash to their Spring Training roster so they clearly think highly of him.

Other contenders

In this section, we’ll look at a handful of other pitchers who may get a look in the rotation. Some are highly rated prospects who are injured, others are lesser known prospects who have found success in Double-A and High-A.

Ricky Tiedemann is arguably the Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect, perhaps even their top prospect. Unfortunately, he’s struggled with health and command the past two seasons and underwent Tommy John surgery last summer. He’ll be back before the end of the season and he’ll surely get a spot in the Bisons’ rotation when fully ramped up.

Chad Dallas also received Tommy John surgery last summer. He was seen as a potential depth option heading into the season thanks to a strong 2023 campaign, but Dallas struggled with health and poor performance in his first foray into Triple-A action.

Adam Macko is also injured. However, he had a knee procedure which is notably not Tommy John surgery. That came in February and there’s no timetable for his return, but if he comes back in 2025, it could be in the Bisons’ rotation.

Alek Manoah will pitch for the Bisons at some point this season, even if it’s just for a rehab assignment. Like Dallas and Tiedemann, he received Tommy John surgery last summer and is targeting an August return, recently pitching from the mound for the first time since the injury. With option years remaining, he could be optioned to Buffalo depending on his performance and how the Blue Jays rotation looks in the summer.

Paxton Schultz only made seven starts in his 40 plate appearances but logged the most innings pitched for any Bisons pitcher last season with 92. Acquired in the Derek Fisher trade, Schultz has put together solid seasons throughout his Blue Jays career, including a 4.11 ERA and a 4.05 FIP in those 92 innings pitched last season. He has experience starting as well.

CJ Van Eyk was selected by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 2020 draft. Nearing the end of his 2021 season, the righty was pulled from his start and underwent Tommy John surgery, missing all of 2022 and a large part of 2023. Van Eyk remained healthy in 2024, authoring a 5.68 ERA and a 4.62 FIP in 95 innings pitched with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Notably, he pitched out of the bullpen towards the end of the season but it’s unclear if he hit his innings limit.

Devereaux Harrison made just two starts in 38 collegiate appearances before the Blue Jays selected him in the ninth round of the 2022 draft. Partway through the 2023 season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, they used him as a starter and it has stuck. Last season, he logged 131.2 innings with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the most in the Blue Jays’ minor league system. The results weren’t great (4.65 ERA and a 4.75 FIP), but he could conceivably find his way to the Bisons’ rotation in 2025.

Lazaro Estrada is a pitcher I’ve been high on for quite some time now, dating back to 2022. The Cuban righty has been in the organization since 2018, but only recently escaped Single-A in 2024. In 98.1 innings pitched, mainly between High-A and Double-A, the 25-year-old righty had a 3.29 ERA and a 3.31 FIP in 98.1 innings pitched. Estrada also struck out 28% of batters while walking 8.2% of batters.

Ryan Jennings is another 2022 draftee who could make an impact at the big league level. He was okay in 2023 with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays and High-A Vancouver Canadians but Jennings found another level in 2024. Splitting his time between High-A and Double-A, Jennings had a 1.93 ERA and a 3.34 FIP in 60.2 innings pitched, along with a 26.7 K% and a 9 BB%. Notably, Jennings moved to the bullpen once he reached Double-A.

Rafael Sánchez is similar to Lazaro Estrada, not just because they’re both Cuban, but he got a late start to his affiliate career and has risen the minor league ladder quickly. Last season between High-A and Double-A, Sánchez finished with a 3.64 ERA and a 3.27 FIP in 106.1 innings pitched, with a 23.6 K% and a 7.1 BB%. His first stop is likely Double-A but he could factor into the Bisons rotation towards the end of the season.