The Blue Jays announced several moves today, with active rosters expanding from 26 to 28. They recalled left-hander Ricky Tiedemann and infielder Sean Keys from Triple-A Buffalo. They also reinstated left-hander Joe Mantiply from the 60-day injured list and infielder Josh Smith from the 10-day IL. To open two more spots for those four additions, right-hander CJ Van Eyk has been optioned to Triple-A and outfielder Daz Cameron has been designated for assignment. The Jays also relayed that right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, who was recently designated for assignment, cleared waivers and elected free agency.
Cameron, 29, was added to Toronto’s roster a couple of weeks ago when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit the concussion IL. Cameron appeared in eight games for the Jays and made 25 plate appearances. He hit a home run but didn’t draw a walk and struck out at a 28% pace, producing a .208/.200/.375 line. That’s a small sample but it generally aligns with Cameron’s larger body of work. He now has 497 big league plate appearances with a 6.2% walk rate, 29.8% strikeout rate and .200/.256/.329 line.
Over the years, Cameron has exhausted his option seasons. The Jays couldn’t send him down and also needed a 40-man spot for Mantiply. Cutting Cameron accomplished that, then the Jays backfilled his spot with Smith and Keys, with the expanded roster allowing them to add two position players while subtracting one.
Since the trade deadline has passed, Cameron will be placed on waivers. He likely won’t have too much appeal, given his track record. In the most recent offseason, he went overseas to find an opportunity, signing with the KBO’s Doosan Bears. He generally played well for them but was released in July, which led to a minor league deal with the Jays. If he clears waivers in the coming days, he will have the right to elect free agency since he has already been outrighted in his career.
Mantiply, 35, had a good showing with the Jays earlier this year. He tossed 17 2/3 innings with a 2.04 earned run average. He wasn’t going to keep that up forever as his 86.7% strand rate was giving him a lot of help but his 22.5% strikeout rate was around average while his 5.6% walk rate and 48.9% ground ball rate were both a few ticks better than par. With his return and the recall of Tiedemann, the Jays now have four lefties in the bullpen, with Mason Fluharty and Brendon Little being the other two.
As for Woods Richardson, he gets to free agency for the first time in his career. He should garner interest based on his past but no club is willing to give him a big league roster spot right now, based on him clearing waivers. That should leave him looking for minor league offers.
Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the righty gave the Twins 245 innings with a 4.11 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. But his numbers have tailed off this year and he is out of options, which led to him being designated for assignment in June. He was traded to the Jays for cash. Since then, the Jays twice passed him through waivers. On the second outright, he had the right to elect free agency and took it.
Around the transactions, he posted a 6.68 ERA over 66 innings between the Twins and Jays. His 13.2% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate have both been well worse than average and nowhere near his previous work. He will likely sign a minor league deal soon and the signing club will try to get him back on track.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images
