Enright, 28, has had a difficult career so far despite solid results. The righty was selected in the 20th round by Cleveland in 2019 and climbed the organizational ladder to reach Triple-A with excellent results in 2022. That seemingly put him on the radar for a call-up to the majors, but in December of that year he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The diagnosis came shortly after Enright was selected by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft and severely limited him during the 2023 campaign, although he did eventually begin a rehab assignment while undergoing treatment. He struggled before returning to the Guardians, but in 2024 he was able to put up excellent numbers again in the minors.
That earned Enright the opportunity to make his MLB debut this year, and he made the most of that opportunity with an excellent 2.03 ERA and a 23.7% strikeout rate in 31 innings of work. Enright looked like a quality bullpen when he was on the mound, but his health derailed things again when the righty underwent Tommy John surgery in October. The timing of that injury will cost Enright the entire 2026 season, which led to the Guardians non-tendering him last month despite his status as a pre-arbitration player. That brought Enright to minor league free agency for the first time in his career, and now he has managed to join the reigning AL champions.
The deal between Toronto and Enright covers both the 2026 and ’27 seasons. While minor league deals are typically only valid for a year, two-year deals are somewhat common for talented players recovering from major surgery. They serve as a way for the acquiring club to take control of the player’s rehabilitation process, with the assurance that they will be the organization first to reap the benefits once the player is healthy again. From the player’s perspective, the two-year guarantee provides some security that wouldn’t otherwise be afforded to him, saving him from having to re-enter minor league free agency after a season lost to rehab.
While Enright won’t make an impact for the Blue Jays in 2026, it would hardly be a surprise if he joins the Toronto bullpen sometime in 2027 given his past results and clear talent when healthy. The Blue Jays’ pitching staff will look very different in 2027 Shane Bieber And Kevin Gausman will leave the rotation for free agency after the 2026 campaign Eric Lauer And Yimi Garcia figure to leave a hole in the bullpen when they hit the open market. It’s difficult to know more than a year in advance exactly how open the league will be for Toronto’s pitching staff in 2027, but it’s certainly plausible that this impending departure could help create an opportunity for Enright to join players like Jeff Hoffman, Tyler RogersAnd Louis Varland into the team’s relief corps once he’s healthy.
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