Blue Jays Outright Lenyn Sosa

The Blue Jays announced that infielder Lenyn Sosa has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. He had been on the major league 60-day injured list but the club put him on waivers instead of adding him back to the active roster.

Sosa, 26, was acquired from the White Sox in April. He appeared in 28 games for the Jays, hitting .188/.205/.275, before a right wrist contusion put him on the IL in late May. He started a rehab assignment in June but that was shut down after just three days. He finally began another rehab assignment a week ago. However, Sosa is out of options and it seems the Jays preferred not to put him back on the roster. Instead, they put him on waivers and the other 29 clubs passed on the chance to grab him.

While he was on the IL, Sosa passed three years of big league service time. That means he has the right to reject this outright assignment and elect free agency. The team didn’t announce whether or not he would do so. If he heads to the open market, he would likely be limited to minor league offers. If a club were willing to give him a big league spot, they could have just claimed him.

Sosa’s trajectory is an example of how quickly things can change in baseball. He hit 22 home runs last year, which gave him the team lead on a rebuilding White Sox team. Here in 2026, Chicago’s roster became so crowded that Sosa got squeezed out. Along the way, his stock fell enough that he’s apparently not currently rosterable anywhere.

Even when he was hitting those home runs last year, there were some yellow flags. His 3.3% walk rate was one of the lowest marks in the big leagues. Even with the homers, his overall offense was only league average, thanks to the lack of on-base ability. His .264/.293/.434 line translated to a wRC+ of 100. He has also never been much of a defender. He has experience at all four infield spots but Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average consider him subpar at all four.

Chicago is getting good results from Munetaka Murakami, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas from right to left, which made Sosa expendable. The Jays took a shot on him while designated hitter George Springer was on the IL but Springer is back now while guys like Charles McAdoo and Josh Smith have recently been added into the infield picture.

As mentioned, Sosa has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency. Even if he accepts and reports to Triple-A Buffalo, he would become a free agent at season’s end if not added back to the roster, like all players with three-plus years of service who have been outrighted.