Blue Jays Sign 23-Year-Old Righty As Eric Lauer DFA Tests Pitching Depth

The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to upset one of the best teams in the American League in the midst of their series with the Tampa Bay Rays but, in the meantime, their injury issues just continue to pile up.

Most recently, that meant another injured list stint for Addison Barger, who played in a single game after overcoming an ankle issue only to be sent back with an elbow problem. But Barger is just one of many key players who have been sidelined as the Blue Jays look to return to the World Series.

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Toronto Blue Jays’ Depth Tested With Eric Lauer DFA

In the rotation, the team has lost Cody Ponce for the season, with Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios yet to make their debuts and Max Scherzer struggling with a forearm injury. And even as the team scrambles to assemble pitching depth behind Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and newcomer Patrick Corbin, it has now felt forced to designate Eric Lauer for assignment.

“Meanwhile, Lauer was designated for assignment after allowing six runs in five relief innings against the Angels on Sunday, pushing his season ERA to 6.69 and picking up his AL-leading fifth loss,” Mitch Bannon wrote for The Athletic. “The Jays called up Yariel Rodríguez from Triple-A Buffalo to replace Lauer. While Rodríguez can provide multi-inning relief, it’s not clear how the Jays will navigate the fifth spot in their rotation moving forward.”

The Blue Jays don’t have much available starting pitching depth to call up from the minors, but they could turn to the likes of CJ Van Eyk and Chad Dallas as the leading candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation. The team might also survey the available external options.

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Toronto Blue Jays Sign Former University Of South Florida Starter Jack Nedrow To Single-A

And, in the meantime, the team fortified the depth at its lower levels of the minors by signing right-handed starter Jack Nedrow.

“Former Bulls right-handed pitcher Jack Nedrow has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays organization and will join the club’s Single-A affiliate, the Dunedin Blue Jays,” according to Nedrow’s alma mater, the University of South Florida. “Since graduating, Nedrow has pitched for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association and the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. With the Dogs, he went 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA while recording 59 strikeouts in 67.2 innings pitched. After three starts with the Revolution, Nedrow earned the opportunity to sign with the Blue Jays organization.”

Last year, with South Florida, Nedrow posted a 3.75 ERA across 72 total innings and he played at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, for three seasons before that. Now he could be taking a step forward in a path to the big-leagues by joining a Blue Jays organization that is suddenly in need of some healthy pitchers at all levels.