The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves today. Right-hander Braydon Fisher has been selected to the roster and outfielder Jonatan Clase has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. To make room for those two on the active roster, outfielder Alan Roden and righty Dillon Tate have been optioned to Buffalo. To make room for Fisher on the 40-man, outfielder Steward Berroa has been designated for assignment.
Roden, 25, made the club’s Opening Day roster after a strong spring. He hit .407/.541/.704 in Cactus League action but hasn’t been able to carry that forward into the regular season, with a .178/.262/.260 line in his first 84 plate appearances in the show. His playing time has dried up recently, with just ten plate appearances over the past two weeks.
While Roden has been doing that, Clase has been putting up solid numbers in Triple-A. Clase hasn’t been hitting for power this year, with no homers or even a triple, but he has been walking at a 13.2% clip. That has helped him produce a .315/.419/.371 line and 129 wRC+ with the Bisons so far this year. He has also stolen 15 bases in 17 tries.
The Jays have an outfield mix consisting of Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Anthony Santander, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger and Myles Straw, with Clase now stepping in to take Roden’s place. Time will tell how often Clase gets into the lineup over the guys in that group, but even if he doesn’t hit much, he can perhaps serve as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement. Roden, meanwhile, can get more regular plate appearances in Buffalo.
Fisher, 24, cracks the majors for the first time. A fourth-round pick of the Dodgers in 2018, he came to the Jays in last summer’s trade which sent Cavan Biggio to the Dodgers. Fisher has generally been able to rack up strikeouts but also with control issues. Dating back to the start of 2023, he has thrown 130 minor league innings with a 3.67 earned run average and 31.5% strikeout rate but a 13.4% walk rate.
So far this year, the control seems a bit better, in a small sample. He has thrown 11 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 2.38 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. The Jays evidently feel he’s ready to take the mound against big league hitters.
Berroa, 26 next month, was added to the roster in June of last year. He got into 28 games for the Jays last year but hit just .189/.333/.216 in those, though he did steal six bases. He’s been on optional assignment this year but is hitting just .195/.267/.234 at Triple-A. That performance has nudged him into DFA limbo, where he will spend a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Jays could take as much as five days to explore trade interest.
Though his numbers this year aren’t good, he was in good form at the Triple-A level in 2024. Last year, he got into 79 games for the Bisons, hitting 10 home runs, stealing 34 bases and drawing walks at an 11.7% clip. He hit .281/.371/.454 for a 120 wRC+. He is still optionable for the rest of this season and one additional season, which could perhaps appeal to club’s looking for some extra outfield depth.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images