Blue Jays 2026 40-Man Roster Review: Chase Lee Likely to Be Split Between Triple-A and the Major Leagues This Season

Lee attended Alabama and was selected by the Texas Rangers in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. The 27-year-old sidearmer worked his way up through the minor leagues and was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Andrew Chafin before the 2024 trade deadline.

Thanks to a strong 2024 season, in which he had a 2.75 ERA and 2.84 FIP in 36 innings pitched, mostly in Triple-A, Lee was added to the Tigers’ 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The Birmingham native split his time between Triple-A and the major leagues in 2025. With the Tigers’ Triple-A team, Lee had a 6.47 ERA and 3.78 FIP in 32 innings of work, appearing in 23 appearances, all in relief. Lee finished his Toledo Mud Hens tenure with a score of 28.1 K% and 7.4 BB%.

For the Tigers, Lee was often used at low leverage, posting a 4.10 ERA and 4.53 FIP in 37.1 innings pitched, with a 24.3 K% and 6.1 BB%. Lee’s last big league action was in July, as 23.2 of his innings were low leverage. He wasn’t great in his eleven innings of average leverage, giving up five earned runs while pitching only two and two-thirds innings of high leverage.

Where Lee and Rogers differ is that Rogers relies on ground balls, while Lee has the ability to get strikeouts. Lee doesn’t throw hard by any means, with a four- and two-seamer averaging less than 90 mph, but he combines that with a rising sweeper and an arm-side fade change. Lee also relies on strong control, but tends to give up hard contact.

Rogers will be a mainstay in the Blue Jays’ bullpen next season, as he has thrown more than 70 innings in each of the past five seasons. Lee, on the other hand, is valuable because he has two option years remaining, meaning the Jays can send Lee down without having to designate him for assignment. Expect him to be part of the Jays’ bullpen in some capacity, but as an AAAA reliever.