The Blue Jays announced they’ve reinstated right-hander Patrick Murphy from the 60-day injured list. Reliever Carl Edwards Jr. was placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain. Fellow reliever Travis Bergen was activated from the 10-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was required to accommodate Murphy’s reinstatement.
Murphy will step right into the Jays MLB bullpen. The 26-year-old made a brief major league debut last season, tossing six innings over four appearances. In that time, he flashed a sinker that averaged just under 97 MPH and a mid-80s power curveball. A former third-round pick, Murphy has long been considered one of the more interesting pitching prospects in the Toronto system. Unfortunately, he’s been delayed by a series of injuries, including a Tommy John procedure and surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome.
Despite the health woes, Murphy’s stuff and track record of acceptable of strike-throwing in the minors has continued to intrigue evaluators. He entered this year among the top 30 prospects in the organization according to each of Baseball America, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs and Keith Law of the Athletic. Another injury- this time a sprained AC joint in his shoulder- had kept Murphy from pitching this season until today’s activation.
Edwards left last night’s game against the Yankees after facing just one hitter. Signed to a minor league deal last month, Edwards has made six appearances since being selected to the 40-man roster. He’s since allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out five while issuing a pair of walks.
