Blue Jays Make Roster Decision On Former 1st-Round Pick Bust

He's been touching 100 mph during his spring outings, and has recorded 13 strikeouts in just eight innings of work. Nevertheless, long-overhyped former first-rounder Nate Pearson has been optioned to the minors by the Toronto Blue Jays, along with a slew of other relief hopefuls.

#BlueJays make some roster cuts so the Opening Day roster is becoming clearer. The following have been optioned:

Thomas Hatch
Nate Pearson
Zach Thompson
Trent Thornton
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) March 25, 2023

Joining the former No. 28 overall pick heading down to the minors are Thomas Hatch, Zach Thompson and Trent Thornton.

Pearson, 26, was definitely bringing the heat this spring, and posted a 3.24 ERA. But after a long-running variety of injury problems limited him to just 15 minor league innings last year, and only 30 the year before that (along with 15 in the majors), the former super-hyped prospect will have to build up some innings at Triple-A before he gets another shot at The Show.