Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kai Peterson has signed with the Washington Nationals after a surprise release.
Toronto selected Peterson in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Sierra College in California. The left-handed pitcher began his pro career in Vancouver in A before reaching High-A Dunedin.
Peterson looked like a solid left-handed pitching option as he reached Double-A in 2025. He began the 2026 season in Double-A as a 23-year-old. Yet, to begin the 2026 season, he went 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in 15 games out of the bullpen.
Despite already reaching Double-A, the Blue Jays surprisingly released him on June 17. Now, just 12 days later, he signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals, according to the MLB transactions log.
Peterson was assigned to the FCL Nationals in the Florida Complex League, but will likely only be there for a bit before going to A or Double-A.
The 23-year-old adds some more pitching depth to the Nationals’ system, and perhaps Washington believes they can fix something in him and make him a much better pitcher who could eventually reach the MLB.
Peterson Gave the Blue Jays a Unique Pitcher
The Blue Jays releasing Peterson this season was a major surprise, as he was a pitcher to watch entering the season.
In December, Sportsnet – which is owned by Rogers, which owns the Blue Jays – did a feature on Peterson and his unique pitching. The left-hander throws in a unique arm slot, which gives Toronto a different look.
“The more I dove into the low-release-height stuff, that’s something I think will honestly end up being the future of baseball, just playing with release heights,” Peterson said to Sportsnet. “We’re seeing it with Trey (Yesavage) right now, where he has an extremely high release point and hitters struggle with that. You see it with low release heights, too. I remember reading an article about Spencer Strider talking about how after his TJ, he was trying to lower his release height and improve extension. Everybody throws 100 now, so it’s trying to play with the angles of the game.”
Peterson also felt like he was coming into his own and was starting to feel comfortable.
“The slot that I’m at now was something that built over time, just getting more comfortable with it,” Peterson said. “There are still mechanical things I want to work on this off-season, too, to get back to throwing harder again. Middle of the season, I was 94, 96. And then some stuff went awry over time, whether it’s fatigue, how your body changes naturally over a season. It’s just something that’s developed over time.”
Yet, despite being confident he was trending in the right direction, the Blue Jays opted to release Peterson.
Toronto on 6-Game Losing Skid
As for the Blue Jays, the big league team is struggling and has lost six straight games.
Toronto is now outside of the playoff picture, and starting pitcher Shane Bieber said the team is frustrated with how they are.
“We all sense what’s going on. It’s been some tough and emotional losses,” Bieber said. “We’re just going through it a little bit and we’re being tested and I know we’ll respond.”
The Blue Jays are 39-45.
Former Blue Jays Pitcher Signs With Nationals After Surprise Release