The Toronto Blue Jays made a flurry of moves earlier today, with right-hander Nate Pearson being optioned down to Buffalo and Thomas Hatch being recalled as he rejoins the club after appearing in five games through three different stints for the Jays earlier this season.
As well, shortstop Bo Bichette was placed on the 10-day IL with right knee patellar tendonitis. With Bichette heading to the IL, a roster spot was made available for newly acquired shortstop Paul DeJong, who will make his debut tonight for the Blue Jays while batting eighth in the lineup.
For Pearson, the hard-throwing reliever has been struggling as of late, allowing 10 earned runs off of six hits in his last five outings. Last night against the Orioles, Pearson allowed three walks to load the bases for outfielder Anthony Santander, who belted a fastball over the right-field wall to score four runs. While the Florida product had appeared in two previous games and had allowed zero runs across two innings combined, his latest stretch has seen his ERA balloon to 5.31 while his FIP sits at 4.99.
In his place will be Thomas Hatch, who has spent most of the regular season down in Triple-A and is being brought in as a fresh arm, as the recent addition of Hyun Jin Ryu from Tommy John surgery has seen the Jays move to a six-man rotation and the bullpen is a bit worn down (especially with Jay Jackson currently off due to a family matter).
With the Buffalo Bisons, Hatch has worked primarily out of the bullpen and owns a 4.40 ERA on the year through 30 outings (three starts). The right-hander currently boasts a 10.8 K/9 but has seen his walk totals creep up this season, amassing a 4.2 BB/9 while owning a 1.311 WHIP. This will be Hatch’s fourth time in the big leagues this season, as the 28-year-old has been riding the options bus to impressive results, allowing just one earned run through four innings of work while striking out eight batters.
Looking ahead, Hatch’s time with the Jays will likely be limited given the return of Jackson in the near future but he will likely feature in tonight’s game at some point given the current status of multiple relievers in the bullpen.
More must-reads: