TORONTO -- Before we could set the bar for what “success” looked like for Yariel Rodríguez in the big leagues, we first had to figure out who he is.

There weren’t many answers when he walked into Dunedin, Fla., for the first time in February, the closest thing to a mystery in a sport that hates to leave those things unsolved. Seven months later, we’re getting closer. Rodríguez looks like a quality MLB pitcher, especially if the Blue Jays only need him to be their No. 5 starter in 2025.

Rodríguez gave the Blue Jays 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Cardinals at Rogers Centre, throwing just 62 pitches as Toronto tries to land his workload in a safe spot to end the season. This organization has already been operating under the banner of “it’s all about 2025” for a couple of months now, but from the moment Rodríguez signed his five-year deal, there’s always been an eye to the future with him.

“He’s looked really good,” said manager John Schneider. “I thought today his stuff looked really good, and if we didn’t have an innings limit on him, he would have kept rolling. His last couple have been really good. What he’s doing in between is great, too. That’s invaluable for him right now. I think he’s doing the right things and pitching really well right now.”

In February, Rodríguez represented a little bit of everything. The Blue Jays wanted him to be a starter, but he’d been a successful closer in Japan, and his ability to pitch multiple innings left the door open to a bulk relief role. That covers just about every job on the roster.

Rodríguez hadn’t pitched competitively in a year, though, leaving the Blue Jays to rely on video from his time in Japan and international competition. What he represented more than any role, though, was upside. In an offseason where Toronto didn’t exactly load up on that, Rodríguez brought immediate excitement, even if everyone involved knew some patience would be required.

That starts with a workload limit. Rodríguez has thrown 98 innings between Triple-A Buffalo and the big leagues this year, leaving him on track to finish just over 100. That’s been the magic number all along for the Blue Jays, and it should set Rodríguez up to push closer to 140 next season.

“You have to be patient, but I know we’ve had a plan since the beginning of the season,” Rodríguez said through a club interpreter. “I’ve prepared myself mentally that I wasn’t going to go for many innings because we have a plan. It’s tough. A couple of times it’s been tough, because I’m a big competitor and you want to keep going, especially in some outings when I felt I was going good. It’s part of the plan. We’re following that, and so far, so good.”

The days in between Rodríguez’s starts are crucial. Earlier in his career, including his time in Japan, Rodríguez had more time between outings, so the quicker turnaround in MLB requires more discipline.

He’s been forced to learn MLB hitters, but at a certain point, baseball is baseball. It’s everything off the field that has been such a key part of Rodríguez’s growth.

“He’s evolving as he goes,” Schneider said. “It’s just so different for him. There’s everything from dealing with his family back home to learning a new team, a new language, a new routine, everything. It took him a little bit. We’ve talked to him along the way, but over this last month or so, he’s really starting to figure it out.”

Now that Rodríguez has settled into a routine as a starter, though, it’s important to frame exactly which type of starter he is.

The Blue Jays don’t need Rodríguez to be José Berríos; if he’s able to give Toronto something close to 140 innings next season with an ERA around 4.00, that’s something plenty of teams in this league would be happy to see from their No. 4 or 5 starter. Slowly but surely, he’ll have a shot to build up to a “full” workload without restrictions in 2026.

The path hasn’t been straight and simple for Rodríguez, but he’s landing in a good spot, carrying a 4.29 ERA into the final weeks of the season. Next season should be so much simpler, too. The mystery was part of Rodríguez’s appeal a year ago, but in 2025, his appeal lies in this organization’s understanding of who he is.