Blue Jays place Will Wagner on Restricted List, recall Alan Roden

The reason for Wagner’s placement on the restricted list is that his father, Billy Wagner, is being inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon. It won’t be a long stint on the restricted list, as Wagner will likely join the team in Baltimore to face the Orioles beginning Monday.

Acquired in the deal that sent Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros before last season’s trade deadline, Wagner is slashing .243/.339/.311 with no home runs in 119 plate appearances with the Jays this season. Since being recalled by the Blue Jays on June 28, Wagner is slashing .318/.412/.432 with five doubles in 51 plate appearances for a 143 wRC+. Another player acquired in that trade, Joey Loperfido, has also found success with the Blue Jays since being recalled.

Will’s dad, Billy, was a relief pitcher, spending the bulk of his career with the Houston Astros and finishing with a 2.31 ERA and 2.73 FIP in 903 innings pitched, with 422 saves in 462 opportunities. As you can imagine, Will is still a long way from the Cooperstown discussion.

This season, Roden has struggled so far in the big leagues. In two separate stints, the left-handed batter is slashing .206/.279/.309 with one home run in 111 plate appearances. Roden made the 26-man roster out of Spring Training and got regular playing time, but wasn’t able to figure out big league pitching in his two stints.

The 25-year-old outfielder is in a tough spot as well, because he’s far too good for the minor leagues. So far with the Buffalo Bisons, Roden is slashing .331/.423/.496 with three home runs in 142 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (11.3%) than K% (9.2%) for a 150 wRC+.

Barring any trades, he’ll likely be optioned again once Wagner returns from the restricted list.