Jared Spencer makes professional debut with Single-A Dunedin

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Michael Coyle | Last updated Sep 7, 2026 8:17 AM ET

A pitcher in the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization finally made his long-awaited professional debut.

On Saturday, left-hander Jared Spencer started for Single-A Dunedin after being reinstated from the 60-day injured list before Saturday’s contest.

During Dunedin’s 6-2 victory against the Tampa Tarpons, Spencer threw 17 pitches (six strikes) and turned in a line of 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K.

The 23-year-old really fought his command in his debut, as he opened the game by walking Tarpons leadoff man Dax Kilby on five pitches. After getting Yostin Pena to fly out to centre fielder Jake Cook, Spencer once again lost the zone.

Spencer threw four straight balls to Wilberson De Pena before issuing a five-pitch walk to Bear Harrison, before being removed from the game. Two singles later in the inning following his exit brought home the runs to make it a 3-2 game after the first.

Congratulations to Jared Spencer on his professional debut, pitching in competitive action for the first time since April 17, 2025 due to injuries pic.twitter.com/ShNBnLfOy2

— Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) September 6, 2026

The lefty touched 92.8 MPH and sat in the low 90s with his fastball during his debut outing. Spencer’s 2025 season, while still playing in college, was cut short due to a shoulder injury, an ailment that kept him off the field for almost the entirety of 2026.

Spencer was selected by the Blue Jays in the 11th round of the 2025 MLB draft after four seasons in the NCAA, including his senior campaign at the University of Texas. In his lone season with the Longhorns, Spencer made 10 starts and went 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The left-hander struck out 66 batters across his 52.1 innings of work.

For his NCAA career, Spencer appeared in 69 games (21 starts) between both Indiana State and Texas and went 15-7 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Spencer struck out 215 batters across 174.2 career frames.

Ranked as the No. 113 prospect heading into the 2025 draft, many teams shied away from Spencer as he underwent his season-ending shoulder surgery. Before the injury, Spencer hovered around 93-96 MPH and touched as high as 98, which creates some intrigue for another arm in the Blue Jays’ system if he can return to pre-injury levels.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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