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Toronto Blue Jays cut ties with seven-year MLB veteran pitcher

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Jun 17 2025, 7:24 pm
Toronto Blue Jays cut ties with seven-year MLB veteran pitcher
John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be giving up on one of their veteran pitchers.

Today, the Jays announced that they’re designating reliever Erik Swanson for assignment, meaning he’ll either be traded or placed on waivers in the coming days, and his time with the organization is likely to come to an end.

In a series of subsequent roster moves, right-handed pitcher Paxton Schultz and left-handed pitcher Justin Bruihl have been added to the Jays roster from Triple-A Buffalo, while right-handed pitcher Bowden Francis has been placed on the 15-day injured list.

Swanson had struggled mightily in 2025, with a 15.19 ERA in six appearances. He gave up seven earned runs over his last two appearances with the franchise, pitching twice for Toronto in the recent three-game series sweep for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Jays.

The 2025 campaign has been a tough one for Swanson, as he missed the first two months of the season on the injured list due to median nerve entrapment in his throwing arm. He made his season debut on June 1, but had yet to show many signs that he’d be an effective pitcher for the team this season.

Across three seasons with Toronto, he put up a 4.28 ERA in 120 appearances across 111.1 innings. His best year of his career with the Blue Jays came in his first with the franchise, where he put up a 2.97 ERA and a 1.5 WAR, the latter of which ranked third among Toronto relievers.

Swanson was one of the two pieces in the return of the Teoscar Hernandez trade with the Seattle Mariners after the 2022 season. Adam Macko, the other player who came to Toronto in that deal, has yet to play in the major leagues. He has played just twice this season at the minor league level while rehabbing a left knee injury.

A 31-year-old native of Fargo, North Dakota, Swanson had also endeared himself to Canadian fans through his love of hockey and is an avid fan of the Winnipeg Jets.

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