Blue Jays Release Pitcher Luis Quinones: What Happened?

For six years, right-hander Luis Quinones wore a Blue Jays uniform without ever throwing a pitch in the majors. The organization released him from the Buffalo Bisons after an injury-filled 2025 season, closing the book on a career that never quite reached the heights his early numbers suggested.

Position: RHP · Recent Team: Toronto Blue Jays / Buffalo Bisons · Release Date: September 14, 2025 · Suspension: 80 games for Nandrolone · Signed by Jays: February 23, 2025

What happened to the Blue Jays pitcher?

The Toronto Blue Jays cut ties with minor league reliever Luis Quinones on September 14, 2025, releasing him from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. According to Blue Jays Central, Quinones spent most of the 2025 season on the injured list before the organization decided to move on. This came after six years with the Blue Jays system, during which he never received a promotion to the major league roster.

“Luis Quinones enjoyed a solid professional debut in 2019, but he’ll have to wait for an encore in 2020.”

— MiLB Report

Release details

The Blue Jays released Quinones from the Buffalo Bisons roster following the 2025 season. Blue Jays Insider described him as a veteran pitcher at the time of his release, though he never pitched in a major league game. The organization signed him to a minor league contract on February 23, 2025, but he was unable to contribute on the field due to injury.

Injury context

Quinones missed all of 2025 with an undisclosed injury while affiliated with the Blue Jays organization, per Zone Coverage. The specific nature of the injury has not been made public. His absence left the Buffalo Bisons without a pitcher they had brought in during the offseason.

Why did the Blue Jays release Luis Quinones?

Several factors converged to end Quinones’ tenure in Toronto. The injury absence was the immediate trigger, but his track record within the organization also worked against him. After six seasons in the system, he remained a non-40-man roster player with diminishing performance numbers.

“All four tested positive for performance-enhancing substances, the commissioner’s office said Friday: Quinones for Nandrolone.”

— Office of the Commissioner of Baseball

Performance struggles

Quinones never matched the numbers he posted before his 2019 suspension. Per Zone Coverage, his career minor league stats show a 4.77 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 360 2/3 innings—significantly worse than the 2.95 ERA he carried into that season. The gap between his pre-suspension ceiling and his career trajectory made him expendable when roster decisions arose.

Prior suspension impact

The 80-game suspension Quinones received for testing positive for Nandrolone under MLB’s Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program may have altered his developmental arc. Sportsnet reported that he was one of four minor leaguers suspended on the same day in September 2019, with the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announcing the violations. The suspension cost him the start of the 2020 season and interrupted his momentum after a promising debut.

Luis Quinones career highlights?

Quinones reached Triple-A in 2024 with the Buffalo Bisons, according to Wikipedia, though he never advanced beyond the Triple-A level. His career minor league totals include 478 strikeouts in 360 2/3 innings across 120 appearances, per Zone Coverage. He peaked as a potential organizational arm rather than a prospect with major league ceiling.

Minor league stats

His strongest professional season came in 2019 before the suspension. MiLB documented his numbers: a 2.84 ERA in 6 1/3 innings with Bluefield, then a promotion to Vancouver where he went 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 10 appearances. Overall, he finished 2019 with a 2.95 ERA and 57 strikeouts across both levels. The performance earned him a look at higher affiliates before the suspension derailed that momentum.

Transaction history

Quinones entered professional baseball when the Blue Jays selected him in the 34th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of San Jacinto Junior College in Texas, per MiLB. He debuted with Bluefield in the Appalachian League, earned a mid-season promotion to Vancouver in the Northwest League on July 2, 2019, then hit the suspension list that September. He worked his way up through the minors but stalled at Triple-A Buffalo in 2024 and 2025.

What is Luis Quinones’ background?

Quinones entered professional baseball as a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher from Texas. Sportsnet noted his age at the time of the 2019 suspension. He came from San Jacinto Junior College, a program that has produced several professional players, and represented a late-round investment by the Blue Jays organization.

Signing details

The Blue Jays signed Quinones as a 34th-round draft pick in 2019, per MiLB. He was assigned to Rookie Advanced Bluefield after the draft and showed enough promise to earn a promotion within weeks. He signed a minor league contract with Toronto on February 23, 2025, returning to the organization for what turned out to be his final season.

Team history

Quinones’ path through the Blue Jays system included stops at Bluefield (2019), Vancouver (2019), and eventually Buffalo at the Triple-A level. Zone Coverage reported he was affiliated with Triple-A Buffalo in 2025, reaching Triple-A at age 27 in 2024. He was never added to the 40-man roster, which meant he remained available for assignment throughout his time in the organization.

Luis Quinones suspension details?

The suspension that defined Quinones’ career came in September 2019. The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced on a Friday that he had tested positive for Nandrolone, receiving an 80-game ban under MLB’s Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, per MiLB. The suspension applied to minor league play and affected the start of the 2020 season.

“According to John Lott of The Athletic, Blue Jays minor league pitcher Luis Quinones has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.”

— Jays Journal reporting on The Athletic source

Violation type

Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid classified as a performance-enhancing substance under MLB’s minor league program. Sportsnet reported Quinones tested positive for this substance alongside three other minor leaguers suspended that day, including Elias Batista (Padres, 80 games, Stanozolol) and Jan Carlos Osorio (Mets, 72 games, Stanozolol). By that point in 2019, 44 minor leaguers had been suspended for drug violations under the program, per MiLB.

Duration

The ban lasted 80 games, meaning Quinones missed the first portion of the 2020 minor league season. MiLB Richmond reported the suspension applied to minor league play. This effectively cost him a season of development at a critical point in his career, just as he was beginning to prove himself at higher levels.

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