Blue Jays release Vogelbach and will be on the hook for his salary

Daniel Vogelbach is now, officially, no longer a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

As flagged by MLB Trade Rumours, the Blue Jays have released Vogelbach after designating him for assignment last week. The news was confirmed on his MLB.com transactions log.

Presumably, none of the other 29 MLB teams were interested in claiming him on waivers, effectively making Vogelbach a free agent. Toronto will remain on the hook for the rest of his $2 million salary over the course of the season, though. Should another team sign him, they’ll only have to pay the prorated league minimum, with Toronto paying the rest.

Vogelbach hit just .186 with 13 hits, a homer, eight RBIs, and five runs scored in 31 games for the Blue Jays this season. He originally signed on a minor league contract but was called up to the major league squad ahead of the season opener. Unfortunately,

The DFA all but officially ended his second stint with the team after a brief time on the roster in 2020, with today’s news just merely ending the prolonged speculation about his future. A 31-year-old designated hitter, Vogelbach has played for five major league teams since debuting for Seattle in 2016.

He’s the second high-profile player to be designated for assignment by the team recently, with Cavan Biggio being designated for assignment earlier this month before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.

In a corresponding move to Vogelbach being placed on waivers, the team called up Addison Barger from Triple-A Buffalo while also bringing up Orelvis Martinez earlier this week, who had an injury to Bo Bichette.

The Jays themselves aren’t doing so hot, sitting in fourth place in the American League East with a record of 35-38. They wrap up a three-game series at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox before heading off on a road trip in Cleveland and Boston for their next six games away from home.

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