Blue Jays Re-Sign Taylor Cole To Minors Deal
The Blue Jays announced on Friday that they’ve re-signed right-hander Taylor Cole to a minor league contract after releasing him earlier this week.
Cole, 27, missed the first several months of the season on the disabled list but worked his way back to toss 12 2/3 scoreless innings across three minor league levels before making his Major League debut last week. Cole’s release came at the tail-end of a 10-day stint on the DL for a broken fifth toe in his right foot, and the release may have simply been a means of preventing another team from claiming him on waivers. A 29th-round pick by the Jays back in 2011, Cole will presumably return to the club’s Triple-A affiliate and hope to build on the solid results he’s posted in the minors both this year and last, perhaps with a chance for a September call-up on an injury-depleted Blue Jays staff.
Blue Jays Select Tim Mayza’s Contract, Release Taylor Cole
The Blue Jays announced on Monday that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Tim Mayza from Triple-A Buffalo. In order to clear roster space, Toronto has optioned right-hander Leonel Campos back to Buffalo and given righty Taylor Cole his unconditional release.
Cole’s release comes on the heels of a tough MLB debut, during which he allowed four runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout. The Jays had placed Cole on the 10-day DL due to a fractured fifth toe in his right foot shortly after he made that debut. The 27-year-old Cole had a solid 2016 season — 3.97 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 in 77 innings — but missed most of the 2017 campaign recovering from an injury.
As for Mayza, the 25-year-old will be making his own MLB debut the first time he takes the mound. A 12th-round pick back in 2013, Mayza logged a lackluster 4.59 ERA in Double-A before taking off with a 0.93 ERA and a 16-to-7 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. Overall, he has a 3.25 ERA with a 58-to-22 K/BB ratio in 52 2/3 minor league innings this season.
Blue Jays Designate Mike Bolsinger For Assignment
The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve designated righty Mike Bolsinger for assignment. The move clears roster space for righty Taylor Cole, whose contract they’ve selected from Triple-A Buffalo.
The 29-year-old Bolsinger made five starts and six relief appearances for the Jays this season, posting a 6.31 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 while allowing nine home runs in 41 1/3 innings. This is the third time he’s been designated for assignment this year. The soft-tosser had allowed runs in all of his previous five appearances, including four yesterday against the Astros. He’s also pitched for the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in a big-league career that spans parts of four seasons.
The 27-year-old Cole has missed most of the season to injury, but hasn’t yet allowed a run in 12 2/3 innings spanning three minor-league levels. The 2011 29th-round pick has moved through the Jays’ minor-league system slowly despite generally good performances, including a 2014 season in which he whiffed 181 batters in 144 1/3 innings at Class A+ and Double-A. He has never pitched in the big leagues.