The Toronto Blue Jays made a roster move ahead of their series opener with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Closer Jordan Romano has been activated from the 15-day Injured List while right-handed pitcher Nate Pearson has been sent to Triple-A Buffalo to make room on the active roster.
Romano injured his back pitching for the American League during the All-Star Game in Seattle back in July. He made five appearances for the Blue Jays after that but was placed on the Injured List after being removed from an outing against the Los Angeles Angels.
The 30-year-old has made 44 appearances for the Blue Jays this season and ranks in a tie for fifth among all closers in baseball with 28 saves. Romano owns a 2.79 ERA and is striking out 10.9 batters per nine innings while walking 3.2 per nine.
Getting Romano back will be a significant boost to Toronto’s bullpen. The team has been operating with a closer-by-committee approach, as Jordan Hicks picked up three saves and Erik Swanson recorded two saves during in Romano’s absence. Having Romano back for save situations in the ninth inning means that both Hicks and Swanson can be used earlier in games.
Pearson has bounced up and down from the Blue Jays to their Triple-A affiliate a few times this season, which is the reality of being one of only a few names who can be optioned. He made one appearance during this stint, a scoreless inning during Toronto’s 11-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
For the season, the 26-year-old former top prospect has a 5.18 ERA with 9.2 strikeouts and 3.6 walks per nine innings.
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