Toronto Blue Jays remove veteran starting pitcher from roster

The Toronto Blue Jays announced some roster changes in terms of pitching personnel on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Jays have desginated starting pitcher Jose Urena for assignment. The 33-year-old was one of the newest members of the organization, having been signed by the Jays earlier this month.

Urena began the season with the New York Mets, but elected free agency after being DFA’d just days before being scooped up by the Blue Jays. He made two starts with the Jays and appeared in six games overall, posting a respectable 3.65 ERA through a combined 12.1 innings. That said, he struck out just five batters while allowing three home runs, indicating the reasonable ERA may have been good luck rather than good pitching.

The veteran right hander will now wait to see if he gets scooped up on waivers. If not, he can either elect free agency once again or accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Buffalo.

In a corresponding move, the Jays also announced that left handed pitcher Easton Lucas has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo. The 28-year-old has pitched 17 innings at the MLB level this season, posting a ghastly 7.41 ERA across four starts. That said, he gave up no runs in his first two starts through a combined 10.1 innings before a pair of clunkers saw his ERA raise dramatically.

The Blue Jays have been playing some good ball as of late, having won four of their last five outings, while scoring a combined 23 runs through their last two. They currently sit tied for second with the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL-East with a record of 29-28.

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