Minnesota Twins Prospect Retrospective: Kendry Rojas

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

Kendry Rojas was originally singed by the Toronto Blue Jays in October 2020 for $215,000. At the time, he was viewed as a projectable arm with a lean frame, intriguing athleticism, and the foundation of a three-pitch mix that could grow into something more. His career since then has been a steady climb marked by flashes of upside, interrupted development, and one very rocky introduction to his new organization.

Rojas made his debut in the Florida Complex League in 2021, getting his first taste of professional competition in the United States. In 23 2/3 innings, he posted a 2.28 ERA with a 0.80 WHIP and 14.8 K/9. The results were less important than the foundation. He showed a loose arm, the ability to spin a breaking ball, and enough feel for a changeup to project as a starter long term. It was a developmental year in every sense, focused on acclimation and building a baseline.

The Blue Jays assigned Rojas to Single-A Dunedin in 2022, where he began to face more advanced hitters. He combined for a 3.98 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 40 2/3 innings. He held his own, flashing bat missing ability (10.2 K/9) while continuing to refine his command. His fastball velocity began to tick up, and his slider started to emerge as his most consistent weapon. There were still bouts of wildness (4.2 BB/9), but the overall trajectory pointed up.

Rojas returned to Dunedin for much of the 2023 season, continuing to build innings and experience. He pitched a career-high 84 innings, while still being over two years younger than the average age of the competition in the FSL. The numbers did not jump off the page (3.75 ERA, 8.8 K/9) , but evaluators remained encouraged by the underlying traits. The strike throwing still came and went, but the ingredients of a legitimate prospect were becoming clearer.

Just as it looked like Rojas might take another step forward in 2024, injuries got in the way. A shoulder issue limited him to under 65 innings, disrupting his development, costing him valuable innings. In limited action, he posted a 2.59 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and increased his strikeout rate to 9.9 K/9. For a pitcher who already had a relatively light workload, the missed time was significant. It created more pressure on him to make up for lost reps upon his eventual return. 

Rojas returned to the mound in 2025 but missed the first two months with an abdominal strain. Once healthy, he worked his way back and pitched well enough to earn a promotion to Triple-A Buffalo.

Some around the league viewed the jump as aggressive, potentially a move by Toronto to boost his profile ahead of the trade deadline. Shortly after that promotion, Rojas was dealt to the Minnesota Twins alongside Alan Roden in exchange for Louis Varland and Ty France. The Twins were intrigued by the upside and quickly plugged him into the Triple-A St. Paul rotation. The results were rough.

Rojas posted a 6.59 ERA over 27 1/3 innings, striking out 28 but walking 23. His inability to consistently find the strike zone put him behind hitters and forced him into unfavorable counts. He also pointed to difficulties adjusting to the Triple-A baseball, noting changes in feel that impacted his grip and pitch characteristics. It was a frustrating stretch, but not one that erased his long-term outlook.

Now entering his age-23 season, Rojas is getting a chance to reset. For the first time since the trade, he has the benefit of a full offseason to settle in with his new organization. He missed time to start the year with a minor hamstring injury, and the Twins have been slowly building him back up. He’s only pitched 7 1/3 innings in 2026.

Updated Scouting Report
Rojas remains a high upside arm built around a lively fastball and two legitimate secondary pitches. His fastball has taken a step forward, now sitting in the 95-96 mile-per-hour range and touching 98. The added velocity gives him a larger margin for error, though there are still questions about the pitch’s shape. At times, it plays flatter than ideal, which can limit its effectiveness at the top of the zone.

His slider is still his best pitch. Thrown in the upper 80s, it generates a high rate of swings and misses against both right- and left-handed hitters. It has the potential to be a true out pitch at the next level.

The changeup has also taken a step forward, coming in at a similar velocity band with late movement that allows it to play well off the fastball. It gives him a weapon to neutralize right-handed hitters and adds to his overall versatility.

The biggest question remains command. His walk rates have been elevated throughout his career, and his struggles in Triple-A highlighted how quickly things can unravel when he falls behind in counts. There have been signs of improvement in small samples this spring, but sustaining that progress will be key.

Because of his frame and command profile, there is some reliever risk. However, the combination of three quality pitches and improving velocity gives him a legitimate chance to stick in a starting role if everything comes together.

What Comes Next with the Twins
The Twins sent Rojas back to Triple-A St. Paul to open the 2026 season, where he continued to develop as a starter. The focus will be on refining his fastball shape, maintaining his velocity gains, and throwing more consistent strikes. However, there was a need for a lefty in the bullpen with Kody Funderburk stepping away from the team on paternity leave.

There are multiple paths here. In a best-case scenario, Rojas develops into a mid-rotation starter capable of missing bats and providing value over multiple innings. If the command does not reach that level, his arsenal could still make him a valuable late-inning bullpen option where his stuff might play up.

For now, the Twins will be patient. Rojas’ introduction to the organization may have been rocky, but his story is far from written. At 23 years old with a power arm and improving secondaries, he remains one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the system, even if he still has plenty to prove.

What stands out about his minor league journey? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

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[Patzky]

It may not be an ideal baptism but maybe starting your MLB career in NYC is less stressful than at home. Minus two arms it's unavoidable. Jitters yield control problems.. is one or the other catcher a better choice behind the plate?

 

Exciting times.

 What we wanted to see.

[Linus]

Another pitcher with good stuff but struggles with control. He’s likely going to struggle unless / until he improves his control. The exciting thing is there is true upside with him. 

[Blyleven2011]

Hope , there is that word again ...

Rojas hardly has pitched this year at AAA and he's now been promoted with the club in New York  ...

Are the twins putting him in a situation to succeed , is it good for his development , i question that and we'll see ...

Not many homegrown prospects are succeeding in the organization  , Raya comes to mind , we hear all the hype of the prospects only to see our homegrown pipeline of pitching never materialized  on a consistent basis  ...

Rojas has issues and has been promoted , but that's nothing new the whole team has issues  , did he earn his his promotion ?  , probably not with just a few innings pitched this year in AAA  , if he gets into a game to pitch before funderburk comes back let's hope his label as a prospect shines  ...

 

[Danchat]

1 hour ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Not many homegrown prospects are succeeding in the organization  , Raya comes to mind , we hear all the hype of the prospects only to see our homegrown pipeline of pitching never materialized  on a consistent basis  ...

They've had to get nearly all of their rotation talent from trades, it's been telling that they needed to acquire several starters at the deadline to fill out the rotation and depth this season... despite the idea that there was supposedly a pitching pipeline in place here.

Raya has now had over 100 innings at AAA with an ERA over 6. I'm sure we'll continue to see the "he's young" excuse used, but at some point he's gotta throw strikes. 

1 hour ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Rojas has issues and has been promoted , but that's nothing new the whole team has issues  , did he earn his his promotion ?  , probably not with just a few innings pitched this year in AAA  , if he gets into a game to pitch before funderburk comes back let's hope his label as a prospect shines  ...

They need someone to eat innings, plain and simple. I highly doubt Rojas is going to be in the major leagues for more than a week, he needs to continue developing in the minors.

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Hope , there is that word again ...

Rojas hardly has pitched this year at AAA and he's now been promoted with the club in New York  ...

Are the twins putting him in a situation to succeed , is it good for his development , i question that and we'll see ...

Not many homegrown prospects are succeeding in the organization  , Raya comes to mind , we hear all the hype of the prospects only to see our homegrown pipeline of pitching never materialized  on a consistent basis  ...

Rojas has issues and has been promoted , but that's nothing new the whole team has issues  , did he earn his his promotion ?  , probably not with just a few innings pitched this year in AAA  , if he gets into a game to pitch before funderburk comes back let's hope his label as a prospect shines  ...

 

We are down two guys, so it was gonna be someone who 1) wasn't any good or 2) wasn't ready. I think you know which kind of guy the forum wants to see.

[jmlease1]

4 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Not many homegrown prospects are succeeding in the organization  , Raya comes to mind , we hear all the hype of the prospects only to see our homegrown pipeline of pitching never materialized  on a consistent basis

I know the phrase "pitching pipeline" is much mocked around here, but literally no one who was serious about the concept ever suggested it only involved the draft and developing the players you selected in the draft.

Rojas is as much of the "pitching pipeline" for the Twins as anyone. It was always about filling up the organization with as much pitching talent as possible at every level, including AA and AAA. Who cares that we grabbed him (essentially from AA) from Toronto and put him into our development program?

Twins rotation is, quite frankly, showing out this design quite clearly: Pablo was acquired as a major leaguer, Ryan from AAA, Ober was drafted and development by the Twins, SWR was acquired while at AA, Bradley was bouncing from AAA to MLB and hadn't established himself, Abel had just barely debuted in MLB, Matthews was drafted by the Twins, Festa was drafted by the Twins, Prielipp was drafted by the Twins, Morris was drafted by the Twins.

It was never supposed to be just draft & develop. And until a pitcher has established themselves in MLB, they're still a prospect. Especially since making the leap from AAA (or anywhere) to MLB is absolutely the hardest developmental step to make.