Blue Jays claim OF Jordan Luplow off waivers from Braves
By Thomas Hall
1 year agoThe Toronto Blue Jays added some outfield depth on Wednesday, claiming right-hander Jordan Luplow off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
Luplow, who features one minor-league option and signed a one-year deal worth $1.4 million with Atlanta over the off-season, has been added to the organization’s 40-man roster and assigned to triple-A Buffalo. To make room for the newest outfielder, the team transferred injured left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu to the 60-day IL as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The 29-year-old, selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, owns six seasons of major-league experience and spent last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting .176/.274/.361 with 11 home runs and a 78 wRC+ over 83 games.
Luplow features a career .213/.313/.432 slash line, producing 45 home runs, 120 RBIs and a 102 wRC+ across 323 contests, worth 3.2 fWAR. He can play all three outfield positions and has logged innings at first, second and third base in his career.
Most notably, however, the right-hander excels versus left-handed pitching – an area of need for the Blue Jays – as he’s posted a .505 SLG, .279 ISO, .355 wOBA and 125 wRC+ in those situations over 505 career plate appearances.
The 6-foot-1 outfielder, under team control through 2024, will likely be called upon if an injury occurs involving one of Toronto’s regular outfielders or if they decide to swap out Nathan Lukes for a right-handed fourth outfielder.
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