The Blue Jays added another catcher to their system on waivers, claiming Shawn Ross from the Mets and sending him to Triple-A Buffalo. New York had designated Ross for assignment two days earlier.
Ross’ path has been a fast-moving one. He signed with the Pirates as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and his run in Pittsburgh ended with his first two major league games on July 25-26 of this season.
The Pirates designated him for assignment on July 27, and the Mets scooped him up. Ross never made it to the big league roster in New York, appearing only for Triple-A Syracuse before landing back on the waiver wire.
The 26-year-old brings some power, but the bat comes with plenty of swing-and-miss. Over 1,075 plate appearances in the minors, Ross has hit .189/.321/.413 with 53 home runs.
At Triple-A, he’s posted seven homers and a .117/.296/.323 line in 293 plate appearances. The eye-popping number is his 38.51% strikeout rate in the minors, though he’s also walked at a 14.9% clip.
That combination makes him a classic three-true-outcomes type.
Ross has only five major league plate appearances to his name, but he made one of them count. In that tiny sample, he struck out twice and hit a two-run homer for the lone hit of his big league career.
Toronto already has Alejandro Kirk and Brandon Valenzuela lined up as its catching tandem, and Ross becomes the only other catcher in the organization with MLB experience aside from CJ Stubbs. He also still has two years of minor league options left, which gives the Blue Jays some roster flexibility if they decide to keep working with him. If the strikeouts can be trimmed to a more manageable level, Ross gives Toronto a depth option with real pop.
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Blue Jays Face A Bigger Pitching Question After Latest Roster Shuffle
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Shawn Ross also came into the organization on Tuesday after Toronto claimed the catcher off waivers from the Mets, though he will head to Buffalo for now. It is the sort of roster shuffle that can look routine from the outside, but for the Blue Jays it underscores how much of the present is tied to managing the staff day by day. The bigger concern is whether Taillons return to the injured list is an isolated setback or the latest sign that the pitching depth is about to be tested again. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Created Another 40-Man Roster Question
Daz Camerons latest stop with the Blue Jays has already come full circle. The outfielder was designated for assignment, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, keeping him in the organization after a brief run on Torontos major league roster. Cameron had only recently been promoted and is now back in the upper minors, where the Blue Jays can keep a closer eye on a player who has bounced through some unfamiliar territory in the past.
Cameron does have the option to reject the assignment and test free agency, but he is expected to stay with Buffalo for now. For Toronto, the move is another reminder of how quickly the 40-man picture can shift, especially with fringe depth pieces who are trying to hold onto a spot. Cameron has already shown a willingness to keep moving, including time in Korea with the Doosan Bears, and this latest turn leaves the Blue Jays with one more roster question to manage. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Move On From Recent Infield Addition After Bat Never Arrived
Miami moved on from Leo Jimenez after a brief run that never really got off the ground, cutting ties with the infielder just months after acquiring him from the Blue Jays shortly after Opening Day. He had been designated for assignment earlier, and while the Marlins could have kept him in the system by outrighting him to the minors, they instead chose to release him, ending a stint that was supposed to provide infield depth.
For Toronto, it is another reminder of how quickly a post-Opening Day swap can change when the bat never shows up and the fit does not take hold. Jimenez now has a chance to look for another organization before reaching minor league free agency, and the next stop will likely come with the same basic appeal he once had in Miami, a glove-first infielder trying to find a way back into a crowded big-league picture. [Read more 🡒]