Blue Jays Claim Ty Kelly Off Waivers From Mets

According to multiple sources, the Blue Jays have claimed veteran utility player Ty Kelly off of waivers from the New York Mets. In a corresponding roster move, Glenn Sparkman, who has been sidelined since early spring with a broken bone in his thumb, has been transferred from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster.

The Blue Jays claiming a guy who plays third base? The first thing that comes to mind is that the team is worried about the health of Josh Donaldson. That could be true, of course, but it seems the addition of Kelly is just depth for the organization in general. Kelly slashed a .328/.409/.435 line over 81 games for Triple-A Las Vegas and a .241/.352/.345 line in 39 games with the Mets in 2016, and has played every position other than pitcher and catcher in his career.

As of right now, the Jays only have eight infielders on their 40-man roster, and beyond Donaldson, only Darwin Barney, Ryan Goins, and maaaaaybe Jose Bautista and Steve Pearce (probably not) can play third.

Whatever, it’s depth, I wouldn’t read too far into it. Apparently Donaldson is day-to-day and might play tomorrow.