Injuries & Moves: Serven recalled; IKF begins rehab assignment
LATEST NEWS
July 28: C Brian Serven recalled from Triple-A
After Saturday's trade of Danny Jansen, Serven was clearly the next man up as the only other catcher on Toronto's 40-man roster. He will spell Alejandro Kirk, who will now work as the Blue Jays' starter. Over 40 games in Triple-A this season, Serven has hit .265 with three home runs and a .769 OPS.
July 28: INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (left knee sprain) begins rehab assignment
Kiner-Falefa went 1-for-3 and played third base for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Saturday. From here, he's expected to take a DH day and play some shortstop, but he could be ready to join the Blue Jays at some point during their upcoming series against the Orioles in Baltimore. When Kiner-Falefa returns, he'll share some of the shortstop duties with Leo Jiménez and spend the rest of his time at third.
July 27: Blue Jays trade C Danny Jansen to Red Sox for INF Cutter Coffey, INF Eddinson Paulino and RHP Gilberto Batista
Jansen, who is set to enter free agency after this season, was the longest-tenured Blue Jay, having been a part of the organization since 2013. Jansen was hitting just .212 with a .671 OPS this season, but when healthy has proven to be one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game. In exchange, the Blue Jays get Coffey, a 20-year-old playing at High-A, Paulino, a 22-year-old at Double-A, and Batista, a 19-year-old Complex League arm. MORE >>
July 27: Blue Jays trade RHP Nate Pearson to the Cubs for OF Yohendrick Pinango and SS Josh Rivera
Pearson, the Blue Jays' former No. 1 prospect and No. 8 prospect in all of baseball prior to 2020, had a 5.63 ERA over 40 innings this season. In return, the Blue Jays get Pinango, a 22-year-old outfielder, and Rivera, a 23-year-old shortstop. Both will land at the back end of Toronto's Top 30 Prospects list. MORE >>
July 27: LHP Ricky Tiedemann (left elbow, No. 1 on Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects list) to undergo Tommy John surgery
Tiedemann had been dealing with forearm tightness after landing on the IL with left ulnar nerve inflammation earlier in the season. Tiedemann met with both Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Neal ElAttrache for second and third opinions, which is very unique, and he'll now undergo a full Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. This comes with a 12-14 month recovery, which will keep Tiedemann out through most -- or potentially all -- of the 2025 season. MORE >>
July 27: RHP Ryan Burr recalled from Triple-A; Jordan Romano (right elbow impingement) transferred to 60-day IL
Burr had a rough outing before being optioned earlier in the week, but he'd looked sharp prior to that and now gets another crack at auditioning for a bigger role down the stretch and into 2025. Romano, who is still down in Dunedin rehabbing at the club's complex, is unlikely to return this season given that the Blue Jays are out of the playoff race, and placing him on the 60-day IL frees up a spot on the 40-man roster.
July 26: Blue Jays trade RHP Yimi García to Mariners for OF Jonatan Clase and C Jacob Sharp
In the first big move of what's expected to be a busy Trade Deadline for the Blue Jays, they dealt García to the Mariners for a package headlined by the 22-year-old Clase, Seattle's No. 10 prospect. Clase made his MLB debut with the Mariners this season and was one of the best athletes in their organization, coming off a season with 79 stolen bases and 20 home runs in the Minor Leagues a year ago. Clase's numbers in limited big league appearances haven't been great, but across 59 games in Triple-A Tacoma this season, he's hit .274 with 10 home runs and an .856 OPS.
The Blue Jays optioned Clase to Triple-A Buffalo when the trade was made official and Sharp has been assigned to High-A Vancouver. Clase could soon join the MLB club, though, especially if the Blue Jays find a trade partner for Kevin Kiermaier. MORE >>
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (left knee sprain)
Expected return: Late July-Early August
Kiner-Falefa felt something in his knee while stretching on July 1, and after he was a last-minute scratch for that day's game, an MRI showed a sprain. Kiner-Falefa started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on July 27, playing third and going 1-for-3. He is expected to have some time at DH and shortstop before possibly returning for the Blue Jays' series in Baltimore beginning July 29. (Last updated: July 28)
SS Bo Bichette (right calf strain)
Expected return: Potentially mid-to-late August
Bichette injured his calf running out of the box on July 19 and pulled up in obvious pain. Bichette has already spent time on the IL this season with a right calf strain and tweaked it again on July 10 in San Francisco. This time, an MRI has revealed a "moderate" strain and Bichette will miss "multiple weeks", manager John Schneider said. A clearer picture of Bichette's timeline should present itself as the calendar turns to August. (Last updated: July 21)
RHP Alek Manoah (right UCL surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Manoah underwent successful right UCL reconstructive surgery with an internal brace on June 17 and is expected to rejoin the Blue Jays in Toronto soon. Manoah left his start on May 29 after feeling a "pinchy" sensation in his right elbow. He was "guarding" his elbow earlier in that start, but the discomfort arose when he began to fully extend his elbow through pitches. (Last updated: June 18)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Jordan Romano (right elbow impingement, arthroscopic surgery)
Expected return: Potentially by end of 2024
Romano's elbow wasn't "bouncing back" as well as he'd hoped, and initial tests revealed inflammation. Romano tried to ramp back up twice, but his elbow was not cooperating and a visit to Dr. Keith Meister ended with Romano undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair an impingement in that elbow. The original plan was to shut Romano down for six weeks and he is still rehabbing with the Blue Jays' staff at their complex in Dunedin, Fla. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 27, and given that the Blue Jays are out of the playoff picture, it's possible he does not return this season. (Last updated: July 27)
LHP Ricky Tiedemann (Tommy John surgery, No. 1 on Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects list)
Expected return: Potentially late 2025
Tiedemann worked his way back from ulnar nerve inflammation in his left elbow, but in his first start back with Triple-A Buffalo, he left with what was described at the time as left forearm tightness. After getting opinions from Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Tiedemann will undergo a full Tommy John surgery on July 30. He will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season. (Last updated: July 27)
LHP Brandon Barriera (Tommy John surgery, No. 4 on Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects list)
Expected return: 2025
Barriera's agent announced in late April that the 20-year-old lefty had undergone Tommy John surgery with an internal brace to repair a Grade 2 UCL tear and was placed on the Minor League season-ending injured list. The Blue Jays' No. 4 prospect will miss the rest of the 2024 season and likely part of the 2025 season, though that timeline should be clearer early next year.
This is another difficult setback for the Blue Jays' first-round pick from 2022. Barriera was shut down after the Draft that year, dealt with injuries in 2023 and is now done for '24, leaving him with just 21 2/3 pro innings under his belt. Barriera had impressed in camp and was touching 97 mph regularly, but for now, he'll focus on the rehab process and attempt to come back strong in his age-21 season. (Last updated: May 17)