The Blue Jays wasted no time using September’s expanded roster to tweak both ends of the roster before a big series in Cleveland.
Toronto officially added left-handers Joe Mantiply and Ricky Tiedemann, infielder Josh Smith and power bat Sean Keys ahead of its Sept. 1 opener against the Cleveland Guardians. To make those moves work, the club designated outfielder Daz Cameron for assignment after earlier optioning CJ Van Eyk, creating the roster flexibility needed to bring in the new group and activate players coming off the injured list.
Mantiply gives the bullpen another experienced left-handed arm. He returned from a rehab assignment after an injury, and his season before getting hurt had been strong: 17.2 innings, an 8.15 K/9 rate, a 2.04 BB/9 rate, a 2.04 ERA and a 2.86 FIP.
Tiedemann is getting another shot to prove he belongs at the major-league level. The former top prospect is still being handled carefully after Tommy John surgery, but the stuff that made him so intriguing is still there. His stock had started to dip, yet this has been an impressive bounce-back season, and the call-up suggests the organization still believes in his upside.
The position-player side of the move gives manager John Schneider more ways to mix and match. Smith, acquired ahead of the trade deadline and returning from a hamstring issue, adds another infielder to the mix. Any offense he provides will be a bonus.
Keys may be the most interesting name in the bunch. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter already got a brief big-league look earlier this year, and now he’s back after tearing through Triple-A Buffalo.
In August, he hit .370 with five doubles, six home runs, 20 RBI, a .478 on-base percentage and a 1.190 OPS. He was taking reps in left field, and even if he doesn’t have a clean defensive home right now, Toronto will look for a way to keep his bat in the lineup if the hot streak continues.
Cameron’s exit makes sense in that context. The right-handed hitting outfielder wasn’t bringing much offense, and with the roster already carrying more outfield options, he became the easiest player to move aside as the Jays prioritized bullpen depth and a hotter bat.
Toronto also added another arm earlier Tuesday in a trade with the Dodgers, landing José Rodriguez, a six-foot-six pitcher who has put up big strikeout numbers in Triple-A. He could join the roster at some point as well.
The Blue Jays open a crucial three-game set against the Guardians in Cleveland on Tuesday, and these roster moves are aimed at giving them a little more leverage in the playoff chase.
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Blue Jays Roster Shift Puts September Upgrades In Focus
The Blue Jays made a quiet roster move before September, optioning pitcher CJ Van Eyk to Triple-A Buffalo without announcing a corresponding move. Van Eyks minor league season had been solid, but his brief major league looks never really translated into much impact, and the decision opens the door for Toronto to start reshaping its roster as the calendar turns.
September is when the depth chart gets interesting, and the Blue Jays are expected to add three players to their 28-man group. Ricky Tiedemann and prospect Sean Keys are among the names in the conversation, giving the club a chance to reward development while also adding some late-season energy to a roster still sorting out its priorities. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Bigger Spencer Arrighetti Problem
Spencer Arrighetti looked like he might be settling in after a strong opening run with the Astros, but the right-handers season has taken a sharp turn since late May. The home runs have piled up, the fastball has lost some of its edge, and the result has been a pitcher who is no longer giving Houston the kind of stability it expected when he first flashed promise earlier in the year.
For the Blue Jays, the concern is less about one bad outing than a growing pattern that has made Arrighetti a tougher assignment than he seemed a few weeks ago. Most of the damage has come against his fastball, which puts the focus on how effectively he can make the pitch work again, and whether Houston can help him get back to the version of himself that looked so much more dependable before the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Make A Telling Pitching Change Before Guardians Series
Toronto is leaning on a familiar modern pitching wrinkle as it opens its series against Cleveland, handing the first-inning assignment to Spencer Miles and planning for Spencer Arrighetti to cover the bulk of the game behind him. Miles has been one of the more dependable arms in the bullpen this season, giving the Blue Jays steady innings in 42 appearances with a 5-2 record and a 2.92 ERA, the kind of profile that makes him a natural fit for a short opening role.
The move is also a clear attempt to simplify things for Arrighetti after a difficult start to his Toronto tenure. Acquired in a trade, he has yet to settle in, and the club is hoping the opener setup can ease some of the pressure and help him find a better rhythm while giving the Blue Jays a cleaner path through a lineup that will be tested early. [Read more 🡒]