As expected, the Blue Jays reinstated left-hander Steven Matz from the COVID-related injured list. Matz is scheduled to start Wednesday night’s game against the Mariners. The Jays also officially added newly acquired right-hander Adam Cimber to the active roster, with righties Joel Payamps and Anthony Castro optioned to Triple-A. To create room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jeremy Beasley was designated for assignment.
Matz tested positive for the coronavirus on June 15 and had to wait out a mandatory 10-day isolation period even though he was an asymptomatic COVID case. It was an unwelcome interruption to a season that has seen Matz go through a few swings of inconsistency, but he has been generally solid in posting a 4.26 ERA/3.78 SIERA over 69 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays. Matz’s 7% walk rate and 24.8% strikeout rate are both better than average, as are his hard-contact numbers, per Statcast.
Beasley was acquired from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations in April, and the righty posted a 7.71 ERA over 9 1/3 innings out of Toronto’s bullpen. That brief stint saw Beasley allow nine walks and three home runs. A 30th-round pick for the Angels in the 2017 draft, Beasley made his MLB debut in cup-of-coffee fashion with Arizona last season, tossing one-third of an inning in a single appearance.
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