Blue Jays' Bowden Francis: Protected from Rule 5 draft

Francis was added to Toronto's 40-man roster Friday.

The 25-year-old righty had a 4.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 73 innings at Triple-A after getting dealt from Milwaukee along with Trevor Richards in the Rowdy Tellez trade. Francis could get his feet wet as a big-league reliever in 2022.