The Jays made some roster moves for today’s game:
- Daulton Varsho was activated from the IL.
- Wil Wagner was optioned to Buffalo.
- Casey Lawrence (just signed yesterday) was called up.
- Paxton Schultz was optioned to Buffalo.
I’ve always been a fan of Lawrence. He was undrafted but signed by the Jays in 2010. The Jays gave him a lot of innings in the minors (it is easier to give a ton of innings to a pitcher you haven’t invested much in), and he slowly moved up the minor league ladder. I had him at the back end or on the ‘just miss’ of our prospect lists a few times.
He did make it to the Jays in 2017 (at age 29). It didn’t go that well, and the Mariners took him off waivers. He bounced around organizations a bit (and was back with the Jays a couple of times). I admired him for keeping his pitching dream alive. He is 37 now. and has pitched in 63 MLB games (two starts) with a 6.51 ERA.
Casey threw 10 innings with the Mariners this season, with a 3.60 ERA.
He doesn’t throw hard (which is why he wasn’t drafted), averaging 89.7 on his fastball this season and doesn’t strike many out, but he also doesn’t walk people.
Welcome back, Casey.
Varsho is back from recovering from surgery in the off-season. He only had 3 hits in 19 at-bats in Buffalo, but the important part is that he is healthy.
Schultz had a fantastic first MLB appearance, going 4.1 innings of relief, with 8 strikeouts, and just 2 hits against. His second appearance wasn’t so good (3 earned in 2.1 innings), but I thought he deserved a longer look.
Wagner had a rough start to his season, hitting .186/.284/.220 in 20 games, 68 PA. Hopefully, he’ll find his swing in Buffalo and return to Toronto at some point.
Today’s lineups: