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Yesterday afternoon, the Blue Jays released oft-injured, always underperforming outfielder Shannon Stewart, marking the end of his second tenure in Toronto.

Stewart, as you’ll recall was given the right-handed half of the left field platoon at the start of the year alongside Matt Stairs, only to fail to deliver offensively and sprain his ankle by stepping on first base awkwardly nearly two months ago.

Ankle injury aside, it was obvious to most that Stewart’s best days were passed him during his 54 games with the club this season. A long-time leadoff man with a penchant for hitting around .300, Stewart had only managed a .240 average with one home run and fourteen RBI this season.

The release of the veteran Stewart also signals another misstep for Blue Jays General Manager JP Ricciardi.

You’ll recall that Stewart was retained in favour of fan favourite Reed Johnson during Spring Training. Johnson, coming off an injury-plagued season which saw him undergo back surgery was given his walking papers and signed with the Chicago Cubs, while Stewart inherited his position in left only one year after Johnson was being heralded as the type of player the Blue Jays loved both in the field and at the top of the order.

Clearly, things haven’t worked out in the Blue Jays favour.

While Stewart was underperforming and spraining his ankle, Johnson has had an effective season as an additional outfielder in Chicago, hitting .300 with six home runs and 41 RBI while amassing 243 at-bats. Now, with the emergence of Adam Lind as the everyday left fielder, obviously the gap in performance between Stewart and Johnson becomes less detrimental, but the fact remains that Toronto gave up on Johnson in order to roll the dice with Stewart and cleary came up snake eyes.

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Apparently the Arizona Diamondbacks know a thing or two about Adam Dunn and feel confident that he can help distance them from the Dodgers in the incredibly mediocre National League West rest.

Despite JP Ricciardi’s ill-fated diatribe challenging Dunn’s dedication to the game, Arizona saw fit to bring in the big lefty for the stretch run at the expense of three prospects, including well-regarded Dallas Buck.

While Dunn certainly has his flaws - Lead Glove, Strikeout Machine - he brings to the table exactly what Arizona has been lacking all season long: a big bat in the heart of the lineup that can crush the ball. Remember, this is a guy who once hit a ball into another state.

Ironically, while not perfect, I personally think Dunn is the kind of bat that Toronto could certainly have used or use in the future. Right now, there isn’t a single guy in the lineup who pitchers and opposing managers are worried about taking them deep every time they step to the plate and it’s easy to understand why.

Toronto’s Top Three Home Run producers this season? Matt Stairs (11), Rod Barajas (10) and Vernon Wells (9).

That’s a part timer, the guy who was supposed to be the backup catcher and the guy who has spent an equal amount of time on the Disabled List as he has in the field.

Adam Dunn may not like baseball, but he sure does like bashing the bejesus out of baseballs on a regular basis and that’s something every team can use, Toronto included.

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Jesse Litsch’s time in Triple A has come to a quick end, as the right handed ginger has been recalled to reclaim his spot in the rotation at the expense of Scott Richmond and John Parrish.

Richmond, the Canadian righty moves to the bullpen while Parrish, the soul-patched lefty is the odd man out who gets to resume riding the bus in Syracuse.

The moves brings Litsch back to the rotation and gives Roy Halladay an extra day of rest before starting the weekend series with Boston Friday night. After three starts in Triple A, where he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA over 20 innings, the Jays are hoping Ginger Jesse returns as the guy who went 7-1 out of the gate and not the man who managed a meager 1-6 record and 6.12 ERA since early June.

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The American League East may have caught a break.

Bad pun aside, the division-leading Rays have been bitten hard by the injury bug this week, with both All-Star third basemen and surefire AL ROY Evan Longoria and left fielder Carl Crawford being placed on the Disabled List.

Longoria suffered a fractured wrist when his was hit during the ninth inning of Thursday night’s game, while Crawford has an issue with the tendon that joins his finger to his hand and will most likely miss the remainder of the season.

Losing two of their key contributors, both offensively and defensively, will be a challenge to overcome for the young Rays.

It will also be a rallying point for the rest of the teams looking to wrestle away the American League East, including Toronto.

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