The rebuilding Blue Jays took some early steps towards the construction of their roster for the 2020 season on Wednesday by protecting a pair of young prospects. By adding right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch and infielder Santiago Espinal to the 40-man roster, both are now shielded from being selected by other teams in the Rule 5 draft next month. All MLB teams had to set their 40-man rosters on Wednesday, and the Jays slate is currently full. But for now, Espinal and Hatch were designated as a pair of prospects who showed enough in 2019 to keep around. Hatch showed promise with a solid August in New Hampshire.

Source: National Post November 21, 2019 01:18 UTC