The Blue Jays announced that they have designated righty Dustin Antolin for assignment. His 40-man spot was needed to accommodate a host of roster moves, including the activation of righty Marco Estrada and lefty Franklin Morales from the DL.
[Related: Updated Blue Jays Depth Chart]
The 26-year-old Antolin was hit hard in his first-ever MLB appearance this year, but has showed promise in the upper minors of late. In his 38 frames this year at Triple-A, he has pitched to a 2.37 ERA with 9.9 K/9 against 5.4 BB/9. The free passes are a bit concerning, though he has generally shown a bit better command on his way up the ladder.
Toronto will be glad to welcome back its two injured arms. Estrada has continued his remarkable renaissance this year, and his ability to maintain his performance is a critical element of the team’s post-season hopes. While Morales hasn’t really contributed yet in 2016, the club obviously has high hopes since it allowed his $2MM salary to become guaranteed even while he was on the DL.
Did they have the choice not to allow his salary to become guaranteed?
Having being unable to bare gently the Jays dependence on the long ball, their lack of the little game, the base-running faux pas, the dubious bullpen use, and esp this year, our having to listen to those superfluous, if not factitious stats being screamed out by the tv announcers onto the ignorant fans of this Central Canadian sponsored team, I have been unable to view many games since the season began. Few in fact. Last night’s was the latest. Thankfully to the baseball gods, a Yankees game was on the tely, and I had my fix.
These latest are teedle dee tweedle dum moves and are as superfluous as the above mentioned stats, except for Estrada, of course.. It must be so frustrating for him to be pitching so well and to have only five wins. But I blame that on their one-run loss guru, the bench brawler, who walks onto a baseball field as if it is a barroom and he is its bouncer.
The point: if the Jays have the cahoonas,i) the only player with any value for whom the Jays will get a impact starter is Tulo; ii) that, bien sur, they put in a field marshall who has an iota about baseball.) , iii) and then someone, please, ask politely that the announcers turn down their mics, toss away those frecken stat sheets, and ‘chat’ about the game that is being played there and then.