Can Blue Jays Top Prospect Help Fill Out Their Rotation?

The 2026 season has gone far from plan for the Toronto Blue Jays, but they are still very much in the thick of the final postseason push.

With only 15 games left in a close playoff race and three-ish healthy starters, the Blue Jays continue to get creative. However, what if, instead of relying solely on the bullpen for multiple starts, they took a calculated risk with a top pitching prospect?

It could be the key to helping them sneak into the dance.

Top Prospect for a Reason

Nolan Perry has proven himself this season. The righty turned 23 a week ago and has dominated at every level, highlighted by a remarkable performance of five no-hit innings and eight strikeouts for Double-A New Hampshire on September 4.

Perry’s strong results are even more impressive considering the recent obstacles he has faced. He missed the entire 2025 season recovering from a torn UCL and spent two weeks on the IL after taking a line drive to the head on July 22.

Early Season Success

Starting the season with Dunedin, Perry punched out 32 batters in 21 innings across five games (four starts) before getting the bump to High-A. Before his promotion, he had only dished out six free passes, eight hits, and never more than one earned run in an appearance.

It was more of the same for High-A Vancouver. Over seven starts for the Canadians, he posted a 3.23 ERA, though most of that came from a start in which he allowed five runs. I mention that start because it accounted for a little under 50% of the total runs he allowed for Vancouver. Across 30.2 innings, he struck out 46 batters (compared to 11 walks), and for the first time as a pro, pitched six full innings in a start on May 26.

That prompted the move to Double-A New Hampshire. His first couple of starts for the Fisher Cats were abbreviated, going only 10.1 innings across four starts, with all four lasting three innings or less. Yet the results were deadly: four hits, one earned run, and 15 strikeouts. Also, it’s understandable that they’d be short; this includes the game in which he got injured and the first two games back.

The Stuff

Starting on August 18, the team began to stretch him out more, with Perry going between 3.2 and 5.0 innings in each start. Since then, he’s pitched to a 3.18 ERA with 18 strikeouts (versus eight walks), capped by the aforementioned five innings of no-hit ball on September 4.

But what makes Just Baseball’s No. 68 prospect an arm that could make an impact this season? While he might not have 50-plus grade velocity, he more than makes up for it with absolutely filthy breaking balls.

Perry has relied on his excellent curveball since the move to Double-A, with five of his eight strikeouts in his most recent start coming from it. Averaging around 79-80 mph, it’s been practically unhittable. When he was with Dunedin, he threw 71 curveballs over 21 innings for the Blue Jays, and only three were put in play, with each resulting in an out.

Perry also throws a mid-80s slider, and like the curveball, it has excelled at limiting hard contact. His off-speed pitch, the splitter, is a newer addition and is one of the main reasons lefties are hitting below .200 against him this season.

Of course, in order to excel with off-speed and breaking balls, it has to pair with a fastball. Perry’s four-seamer has gone from 92 to 94.1 mph post-Tommy John surgery and plays up much faster when hitters are anticipating a curveball or slider at the bottom of the zone.

Risk vs Reward

Promoting Perry would definitely be a risky move, but it’s one that doesn’t do a ton of harm for the Blue Jays. He’s Rule 5 Draft eligible after this season, so it’s pretty much a given that he’ll be added to the 40-man roster sometime within the next couple of months.

It would also help with the constant shuffling of arms the Blue Jays have had to do. Pitchers like CJ Van Eyk, Chad Dallas, and Lazaro Estrada have been brought up and down from Triple-A Buffalo multiple times this season and have to stay in the minors for 15 days once optioned. They also have Michael Lorenzen, but his numbers this season don’t really do him any justice.

Unfortunately, Perry doesn’t really solve the issue of resting the bullpen. He is still operating on a pitch count and, as previously mentioned, has pitched six full innings just once this season. If they were to bring him up, he’d likely only throw somewhere between 60 and 75 pitches, which means he could be out of the game after four innings.

It’s less of an issue with expanded rosters, but having to rely heavily on the pen in two of every five start days, while Spencer Arrighetti continues to struggle and work his way back from injury, might cause them to take a more patient approach.

While it’s not as fun, one or two of Dallas, Van Eyk, and Lorenzen will likely occupy the remaining games. However, a blowup in a must-win game might push Toronto to take drastic measures.

And Perry has the tools to be those measures.