A pair of roster moves came hours before the Toronto Blue Jays’ Saturday doubleheader.
The Jays activated Teoscar Hernandez off the IL as the slugger makes his return, while the club also lost Gusoke Katoh on waivers to the Mets. Toronto DFA’d Katoh on Wednesday.
Hernandez returns to the Jays lineup and will be active as the 27th man for today’s games. Teo will draw in for the second game but can pinch-hit in game one if need be.
He’s been out of the lineup since April 13th dealing with an oblique injury and the Jays’ offence has sputtered without him. Injecting him back into the lineup, even if just for game two today, will be a much-needed addition. He appeared in six games earlier this year slashing .316/.435/.526 with six hits, one dinger and three RBI.
Katoh, meanwhile, is off to joins the Mets and has been assigned to their Triple-A club in Syracuse. Beyond having a legendary walkup song, NEver Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, he got into a few games for the Jays this year in a pinch in what was his first MLB action. The 27-year-old had one hit, a double, and three walks in his 11 plate appearances.
While not a major loss, Katoh had spent nearly a decade in the minors and finally got his break here with the Jays quickly developing into a fan favourite and after that first hit, you could see the elation from his teammates.
Hopefully he’ll get a fair shake with the Mets, who have jumped out to a 19-9 start leading the NL East.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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