Toronto Blue Jays designate Donn Roach for assignment
The Toronto Blue Jays designated reliever Donn Roach for assignment on Wednesday, calling up infielder Jonathan Diaz in a corresponding move. Diaz started the second game of the team’s double-header, after the Jays clinched the American League East division title in the first game.
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Roach didn’t pitch a single game for Toronto after coming over in a waiver claim from the Cincinnati Reds last month. This marks the third time the 25-year-old has been DFA’d this season, as he was also designated by the Chicago Cubs in July and the Reds in August. He pitched in just one big-league game this season, giving up four runs in 3.1 innings during a start for the Cubs in a start in June.
Roach saw more big-league time as a rookie with the Padres in 2014, posting a 4.75 ERA in 16 appearances (30.1 innings, one start). While he’s yet to do anything impressive at the big-league level, Roach should find another home on waivers due to his controllability (he’s under team control through 2020), age (he’ll still be just 26 next year) and strong AAA numbers (he pitched to a 7-2 record with a 2.63 ERA in 16 starts for the Iowa Cubs this year). He logged a 3.34 ERA in 25 total appearances (23 starts) this season, logging 143.0 innings.
Diaz joins the Blue Jays for the second time this season, spending the bulk of the year with Toronto’s AAA club. He hit for an underwhelming .223 in 359 at-bats in the minors, but drew an impressive 51 walks and stole seven bases. He’ll serve as depth for Toronto as they look to keep regulars healthy in the final week of the season with the division now officially locked up.