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Blue Jays Activate David Phelps

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The Blue Jays have activated right-hander David Phelps, Scott Mitchell of TSN.com reports on Twitter. He’ll take the roster spot of fellow right-hander Justin Shafer.

Phelps is back in the majors following a lengthy rehab process after Tommy John surgery. He made four scoreless minor-league appearances, compiling four strikeouts without a walk, and was finally deemed ready to get back to the MLB mound for the first time since 2017.

If all goes well, the Toronto org could have another trade chip on its hands. Phelps inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal that includes a floating-value option. His earning power will depend quite a bit on how frequently he throws, as he can tap incentives and boost the option value based upon the number of appearances he makes this year.

At his best, Phelps was a quality relief arm, who ran up 142 1/3 innings of 2.72 ERA pitching from 2016 to 2017. That track record earned him this contract in spite of the TJ procedure, but his showing from this point forward will determine his trade value and future in the majors.

Blue Jays Designate Zac Rosscup, Select Justin Shafer

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The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-handed reliever Zac Rosscup for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for right-hander Justin Shafer, whose contract has been formally selected from Triple-A Buffalo.

It appears that Rosscup’s tenure with the Jays will be a brief one. Toronto claimed him off waivers from the Mariners last week, but he appeared in just two games. In that time, he was knocked around for four runs on three hits and a pair of walks with two strikeouts in an inning of work. Rosscup had previously notched a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings with Seattle, but he also walked 14 hitters in that time. Rosscup’s huge swinging-strike rate on his slider and his general knack for missing bats have stood out over the past two seasons, but this year’s control troubles are also quite pronounced.

The 26-year-old Shafer will be stepping up for his second stint with the Blue Jays, who selected his contract last August but later outrighted him off the 40-man roster when he cleared waivers. He’s allowed just two earned runs with a 16-to-6 K/BB ratio in 18 2/3 innings for Buffalo this season.

Blue Jays Outright Shafer, Cruz, Guerrieri, Petricka

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The Blue Jays announced today that they have outrighted four players from their 40-man roster. Justin Shafer will remain in the organization after clearing waivers, while fellow right-handed hurlers Rhiner Cruz, Taylor Guerrieri, and Jake Petricka were all sent into free agency after going unclaimed.

Shafer, 26, made his big league debut in ’18 but allowed three runs in 8 1/3 innings while issuing a troubling seven walks in that time. He struggled as a starter in the low minors but has posted solid ERA marks as a reliever in Double-A (2.75, 75 1/3 innings) and Triple-A (1.49 ERA, 42 1/3 innings). Shafer has still averaged under eight punchouts per nine innings and walked nearly four per nine innings in the upper minors, though.

Cruz, 32, has bounced around the league on minor league deals since he was a top pick in the 2011 Rule 5 Draft. He posted an ERA north of 6.00 in his rookie season with the Astros following that selection and has never found his footing in the big leagues, as he owns a 5.20 ERA in 79 2/3 frames.

Guerrieri was one of the top prospects in baseball with the Rays before arm injuries tanked his status. He posted video game numbers between Class-A Advanced and Double-A as a 22-year-old in 2015 but has yet to find success in the upper minors (4.86 ERA in 66 2/3 Triple-A innings) since making it back to the mound. He threw 9 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays this year and allowed five runs on nine hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.

Petricka has the most experience of the names in question here, and he posted a 4.53 ERA with a respectable 8.1 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 45 2/3 frames out of the Toronto ’pen in 2018. The longtime White Sox reliever has a lifetime 3.98 ERA in 223 2/3 MLB frames but would’ve been arbitration-eligible this winter. The Blue Jays, rather than pay him a raise on 2018’s $1.3MM base salary, opted to cut him loose early and give him a jump start on finding a new club in free agency.

Blue Jays Designate Luis Santos, Select Murphy Smith

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The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Luis Santos for assignment, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. That opens a 40-man spot for fellow righty Murphy Smith, whose contract was selected.

Those aren’t the only righty relievers changing places. Toronto also announced that Danny Barnes is heading up from Triple-A. Justin Shafer and Jake Petricka are being optioned down to create active roster space.

This isn’t the first time the Jays have designated Santos, who was knocked around in twenty MLB innings but had turned in 41 innings of 2.85 ERA ball at Triple-A. He’ll have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers.

As for Smith, he’ll see the majors for the first time in his tenth professional season. The 31-year-old has worked to a 3.59 ERA in 62 2/3 innings at Triple-A, though he also carries an uninspiring 42:25 K/BB ratio.

Barnes, meanwhile, has spent most of the past two seasons working out of the major-league bullpen. He recorded an 11:1 K/BB ratio in 8 2/3 frames with Buffalo. He’ll come up in preference to Shafer and Petricka. The former threw five scoreless innings in his MLB debut this year, but managed only a pair of strikeouts.

Petricka, of course, is the player with the most experience on this transactions roll. He has worked 36 innings in the big leagues this year, compiling a 4.25 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. Petricka carries a strong 51.8% groundball rate, though that’s nothing like the 60%+ rates he managed earlier in his career.

Blue Jays Place Marcus Stroman On 10-Day DL

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The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Marcus Stroman has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a blister on his right middle finger.  Right-hander Justin Shafer had his contract selected from Triple-A while Aaron Sanchez was shifted to the 60-day DL (retroactive to June 22) to create a 40-man spot for Shafer.  Left-hander Thomas Pannone was also recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, with righty Luis Santos going down to Buffalo in a corresponding move.

Though this is the first time the problem has forced Stroman to the DL, he has been bothered by blister issues dating back to last season, and Stroman had been particularly hampered by the blister over his last few starts.  His outing against the Yankees yesterday was cut short after just four innings, and finally necessitated a DL stint to fully rest and treat the bothersome finger.

The blister is the latest setback in what has become a lost season for Stroman (and the Jays as a whole).  The righty looked to have emerged as a frontline starter after an outstanding 2017 campaign, but Stroman battled shoulder problems in Spring Training and got off to a rough start in 2018 before eventually landing on the disabled list to address his shoulder issues.  He has been decent, if inconsistent, since returning from the DL, posting a 3.84 ERA over 63 1/3 innings.

All told, Stroman has delivered just a 5.27 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 2.11 K/BB rate over 100 2/3 frames this season.  ERA predictors (3.92 FIP, 3.80 xFIP, 4.02 SIERA) paint a more favorable view of his performance, and it’s worth noting that the Jays’ poor infield defense is a particular impediment to a groundball-inducing pitcher like Stroman, who has a 62.4% grounder rate this season.  Stroman’s contact rates are up, however, from his 2017 totals, and his .324 wOBA is actually outperforming his .332 xwOBA, so it’s more than just bad luck that has led to his struggles.

Pannone will take Stroman’s spot in the rotation and will start for Toronto on Wednesday against Baltimore.  The 24-year-old made his big league debut earlier this season out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, tossing three innings over three games.  Shafer will also be getting his first taste of MLB action, after tossing 358 2/3 innings in the minors since being taken by the Jays in the eighth round of the 2014 draft.  Shafer has pitched exclusively as a reliever over the last two seasons, and he has posted a 1.55 ERA, 1.94 K/BB rate, 7.3 K/9 and zero home runs allowed over 40 2/3 IP at the Triple-A level.

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