Blue Jays Sign Carl Edwards Jr.
The Blue Jays have signed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to a minor league contract, per a report from Sportsnet. He has been assigned to Triple-A Buffalo.
Edwards is most well-known for his run with the Cubs. Once a well-regarded prospect in the Chicago system, he made his MLB debut late in 2015 and was an important part of the Cubs’ bullpen over the next few seasons. Despite persistent troubles with walks, Edwards was quite good at missing bats and preventing runs over his first few years. Between 2016-18, he worked to a 3.03 ERA/3.12 FIP across 154 1/3 relief innings.
He’s fallen on hard times since then, though. Edwards got off to a terrible start in 2019, and Chicago flipped him to the Padres for fellow reliever Brad Wieck at the trade deadline. Edwards couldn’t right the ship in San Diego and wound up non-tendered. The Mariners signed him that offseason in hopes of a rebound. To his credit, the righty got off to a strong start in Seattle but a flexor mass strain in his forearm ended his season after just 4 2/3 innings.
The Braves signed Edwards to a minor league deal over the winter. Atlanta selected him to the major league roster earlier this month but designated him for assignment after just one appearance, in which he allowed three runs on as many hits while recording a single out. Edwards cleared waivers and elected free agency.
Now, he’ll look to work his way back to the big leagues with Toronto. The Jays have dealt with plenty of bullpen injuries this season and are still without notables Rafael Dolis, Julian Merryweather and David Phelps (as well as presumptive closer Kirby Yates, who underwent Tommy John surgery before the regular season began). Despite the health woes, Toronto relievers have worked to a solid 2.99 ERA/3.76 SIERA this year.
David Phelps Has “Significant” Lat Strain
Blue Jays right-handed reliever David Phelps is dealing with a “significant” lat strain, manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday (via Scott Mitchell of TSN). Montoyo was unable to offer a timeline for Phelps’ return.
Lat strains often lead to lengthy absences for pitchers, and it sounds as if that will be the case for Phelps. The 34-year-old has already gone almost two full weeks without pitching, having most recently taken the mound on May 2.
Phelps, whom the Blue Jays signed for $1.75MM in free agency, delivered outstanding results prior to his placement on the 10-day injured list. Now in his second stint with Toronto (he previously spent time with the club in 2019), Phelps has thrown 8 1/3 innings of two-run ball (one earned) with 15 strikeouts, four walks, eight hits allowed, and four holds. He’s one of seven Blue Jays relievers on the IL, yet the team has still found a way to a 20-16 record.
Blue Jays Sign Dilson Herrera
The Blue Jays recently signed Dilson Herrera to a minor-league contract (h/t to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America). The utility infielder was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, where he’s begun the year 2-12 with a double and a triple.
Herrera, once a top prospect in the Mets’ system, broke into the big leagues as a 20-year-old in 2014. He never really got an extended run, either in New York or Cincinnati after his inclusion in the 2016 Jay Bruce deal. Herrera made an extremely brief return to the big leagues last season, appearing in three games with the Orioles. All told, he owns a .199/.290/.386 line in 272 MLB plate appearances.
Obviously, Herrera never lived up to his top prospect billing. He’s still only 27 years old though, and he’s generally been productive at Triple-A (.279/.343/.471) in parts of six seasons. He’ll add some high minors infield depth, alongside fellow former top prospect Christian Colón, to a Jays’ organization that is currently without utilityman Joe Panik due to a calf strain.
Blue Jays Select A.J. Cole, Move Alejandro Kirk To 60-Day IL
MAY 9: Dolis is indeed being placed on the IL to open active roster space for Nate Pearson, who’s getting the start this afternoon, Mitchell tweets.
MAY 8, 4:18 pm: Dolis isn’t yet heading to the injured list, manager Charlie Montoyo told TSN’s Scott Mitchell and other reporters. Dolis has a Grade 1 calf strain but the team is hopeful that he can recover within a few days.
MAY 8, 3:11 pm: The Blue Jays will place reliever Rafael Dolis on the 10-day injured list after he injured his calf in yesterday’s ballgame. A.J. Cole will be added to the roster, per Ben Wagner of Sportsnet (via Twitter). Ty Tice, meanwhile has been optioned to Triple-A after four appearances, and Alejandro Kirk was moved to the 60-day injured list, per Scott Mitchell of TSN sports (via Twitter).
It seems that the back end of Toronto’s bullpen is a touch snakebit this season. It started with losing free agent signing Kirby Yates to Tommy John surgery, but since the season started, alternative high-leverage options Jordan Romano, Julian Merryweather, and now Dolis have all spent time on the injured list.
Dolis has been a workhorse early on, appearing in 15 of the Blue Jays’ 31 games so far this season. He’s totaled 12 2/3 innings with a 4.26 ERA/4.66 FIP, three saves and a hold. Dolis has been the acting closer of late, though Romano is now back off the injured list and could take on a bigger role in Dolis’ absence.
Cole could also be an option for some high-leverage opportunities, as the 29-year-old has performed well the past couple of seasons. With Toronto in 2020, Cole logged 23 1/3 innings in 24 appearances with a 3.09 ERA/4.31 FIP.
Blue Jays Expected To Start Nate Pearson On Sunday
Nate Pearson‘s 2021 debut is expected to take place in a start against the Astros on Sunday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith). For now, the plan is for Pearson to start the game and Anthony Kay will be available in relief if needed, unless Kay is required to pitch tonight.
One of the sport’s top pitching prospects, Pearson posted a 6.00 ERA over 18 innings for Toronto last season while missing some time due to elbow tightness. Pearson then suffered a Grade 1 groin strain during Spring Training, and while the initial injury was thought to be pretty minor, he then reaggravated the issue in rehab. After missing so much time in camp, Pearson had to get healthy and then essentially reboot much of his preseason training, though the early returns are promising. In a start for Triple-A Buffalo earlier this week, the right-hander recorded eight strikeouts while allowing one run on four hits and a walk over 3 2/3 innings.
If Pearson is able to pitch close to his potential, it will be an enormous boost to a Blue Jays team that has been both racked by pitching injuries this season, and is arguably thin on arms even with everyone was at full strength. Hyun Jin Ryu and Robbie Ray have both looked good in the early going, while Steven Matz has struggled over his last three outings after beginning his Jays tenure with three quality starts. Tanner Roark has already been released, so if Pearson is able to assume a regular turn in the rotation, that would allow the Jays to move Kay or Ross Stripling into spot starter/swingman/long relief duty.
Blue Jays Place Joe Panik On Injured List, Recall Rowdy Tellez
The Blue Jays have placed infielder Joe Panik on the injured list with a left calf strain, per Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports (via Twitter). Rowdy Tellez will be recalled to take his roster spot.
Panik is in his second season coming off the bench for the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old can play all over the infield, though with a healthy Bo Bichette, Panik’s glovework has been limited mostly to second and third this season. The former All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner owns a .226/.241/.302 triple slash line across 54 plate appearances.
Tellez had a rough start to the season, slashing .183/.222/.267 across 63 plate appearances. If nothing else, Tellez comes back after a short, but effective tune-up in Triple-A. In the first three games of the minor league season, Tellez went 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles, a home run, and three walks against three strikeouts.
Atkins: Blue Jays Expect Kirk To Miss At Least Four Weeks
The Blue Jays will be without catcher Alejandro Kirk for at least the next four weeks after sustaining a hip flexor injury, general manager Ross Atkins announced yesterday while acknowledging that the absence “could be longer” than that (link via the Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm). Kirk exited the Blue Jays’ game on May 1 early after apparently sustaining the injury while running down the line after hitting a ball that narrowly went foul. He initially stayed in but was removed innings later and hit the 10-day IL the following day.
Sportsnet’s Ben Wagner reported earlier in the week that Kirk could miss at least six weeks, but the team has publicly put forth a slightly more optimistic timeline. Whether Kirk is sidelined until late May or mid-to-late June, it’s another tough loss for a Jays club that, like so many other teams around the league, has been hit hard by injuries in 2021. Kirk went 0-for-13 to start the season, but his bat has taken off in the 33 plate appearances since. He also impressed down the stretch with a big late showing in 2020 and is currently carrying a stout .281/.352/.516 batting line with four homers and three doubles through his first 71 MLB plate appearances.
With the 22-year-old Kirk sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Jays will entrust catching duties to Danny Jansen and the recently promoted Reese McGuire. Jansen, who turned 26 last month, has been the Blue Jays’ primary backstop for the past couple seasons but has seen his bat decline since a promising rookie showing in 2018. After batting .247/.347/.432 in 95 plate appearances as a rookie, he’s managed only a .188/.275/.336 line through 597 trips to the plate. McGuire hit well in 2018 but went just 3-for-41 last season.
In addition to Kirk, the Jays are without George Springer (quad strain), David Phelps (lat strain), Julian Merryweather (oblique strain) and Kirby Yates (Tommy John surgery). They’ve also already had weeks-long absences for Hyun Jin Ryu (glute strain) and Teoscar Hernandez (Covid-19), although both are now back with the club.
Blue Jays Place George Springer On Injured List
The Blue Jays are placing George Springer back on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 3, with a right quad strain (via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). The star center fielder reaggravated the same injury that kept him out for almost all of April. It’s unclear how long the team expects him to be sidelined this time around, but Springer was sent for an MRI earlier today, per Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, Jonathan Davis has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.
It’s tough to imagine a worse start to Springer’s tenure in Toronto. The 31-year-old strained an oblique in Spring Training. On the cusp of returning from that injury, he suffered the aforementioned first quad strain. The quad delayed his regular season debut by a few weeks, and it’s causing him issue yet again.
Altogether, the series of injuries has limited Springer to 18 plate appearances in four games. That’s certainly not what he or the Jays imagined when he signed the offseason’s biggest free agent guarantee (six years, $150MM) over the winter. While Springer went on the IL each season from 2017-19, those absences generally didn’t keep him out long. He tallied 550+ plate appearances every year from 2016-19 and avoided the IL in 2020, playing in 51 of a possible 60 games. Of course, Springer earned that massive contract with an extended run of productivity, hitting .273/.363/.500 (135 wRC+) over his final five seasons with the Astros.
With Springer out for the season’s first month, the Jays turned to Randal Grichuk and Davis to cover center field. Grichuk, who has hit a strong .287/.330/.475, is likely in line for the lion’s share of playing time there yet again. Davis got off to a dreadful start to the year before being optioned after Springer came off the IL last week.
Blue Jays Select Reese McGuire, Move Julian Merryweather To 60-Day IL
The Blue Jays have selected the contract of catcher Reese McGuire and moved right-handed reliever Julian Merryweather to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was among those to report. The team also optioned catcher Riley Adams to Triple-A Buffalo.
McGuire – whom Toronto acquired from Pittsburgh in 2016 – impressed earlier in his major league career, hitting an eyebrow-raising .297/.343/.539 with seven home runs in 138 plate appearances from 2018-19. But 2020 didn’t go well off or on the field for McGuire, who was arrested prior to the season and then proceeded to hit a terrible .073/.073/.146 over 45 plate appearances. The Blue Jays outrighted McGuire off their 40-man roster last month, but he’s now back with a team that’s looking for help behind the plate. Danny Jansen has posted horrid production so far this year, while Alejandro Kirk will be out for the foreseeable future with a left flexor strain.
Merryweather went on the IL on April 14 with a left oblique strain, and his shift to the 60-day version means he won’t return until at least the middle of June. The hard-throwing 29-year-old served as a bright spot for Toronto’s bullpen in the early going this season, as he put up 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with seven strikeouts, a walk and two saves.
Tanner Roark Clears Waivers, Becomes Free Agent
Right-hander Tanner Roark has cleared waivers and become a free agent, Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets. The Blue Jays designated Roark for assignment last week.
It’s no surprise that the 34-year-old Roark is heading to the open market, as there was no expectation he’d be traded or claimed because of his $12MM salary. On the heels of a solid several seasons divided among the Nationals, Reds and Athletics, Roark signed a two-year, $24MM deal with the Blue Jays going into 2020, but the move went south in a hurry for the club. Roark posted a 6.80 ERA in 47 2/3 innings last year, and despite the Jays’ injury troubles this season, he barely factored into their rotation. Roark tossed seven frames over three appearances (one start) and gave up five earned runs before the Jays cut the cord on him.
Roark boasted a respectable track record before signing with Toronto, so the likelihood is that he’ll find a different team soon. However, this trip to free agency won’t be nearly as lucrative as Roark’s previous one. He may have to settle for a minor league contract.