Drew Hutchison’s second go-around with the Blue Jays has come to an end.
According to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, the 32-year-old has exercised an out clause in his minor-league deal with the Blue Jays this week and the club granted him his release.
The Blue Jays selected Hutchison in the 15th round of the 2009 draft out of high school and he made his big-league debut just three years later as a 21-year-old. He posted a 4.60 ERA over 11 starts in 2012 but Hutchison’s debut season came to an end early because of an elbow issue that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery.
Hutchison returned to the Blue Jays’ rotation for the 2014 season and was named Toronto’s Opening Day starter in 2015. He lost his spot in the rotation when the Blue Jays acquired David Price ahead of the 2015 trade deadline and he was later traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Francisco Liriano, Reese McGuire, and Harold Ramirez.
Hutchison only made a handful of appearances with the Pirates before being granted free agency following the 2017 season. Since then, he’s had stints with the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Detroit Tigers.
The Blue Jays inked Hutchison to a minor-league deal back in January but he didn’t pitch well enough with Triple-A Buffalo to put himself into the conversation for a call-up, which would have also required a spot on the 40-man roster. Over nine starts with the Bisons, Hutchison posted a 5.66 ERA and walked nearly as many batters as he struck out.
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