Blue Jays designate Dalton Pompey for assignment

After the outfielder suffered a concussion during his spring, he has been slowly recovering and the Blue Jays were forced to make a decision on his future with the team this week.Either put him on the 25-man, or designate the hometown boy for assignment. As it has been reported by Shi Davidi, the Jays have done the latter.

Pompey dominated through the minors as a prospect, appearing in the Futures Game and having fans dream of a prime position being locked-up for the future. Due to increased injury and looking just okay during his time in the majors, Pompey has never really figured it out.

His injury delayed the front office from making a decision, since the 26-year-old has run out of options and would need to go through the process to be placed in the minors.

But on Monday, his 20-day rehab assignment was finished and a decision was needed to be made. Now on the waiver wire, another team will be able to take the chance on this young outfielder, instead of the Jays management trying to find a spot for him on this bottom-tier team.

His history with Toronto has been filled with anguish and mismanagement. He was called-up extremely early and reportedly faced a lot of interior bullying from other teammates. Never really getting his feet fully wet in the big leagues, he has been bouncing around the minors ever since.

He played a small role on the 2015 and 2016 teams, mainly regarded as a pinch-runner in scoring position. He has always been labeled as a hopeful prospect that can make his five-tool potential a reality, but this might be the end of his time in Toronto.

If a team doesn’t claim the player, the Jays can outright him to the minors and will most likely join the Bisons outfield.

Whether or not Pompey could be seen as a player that still has that past potential, the Jays’ outfield has been one of the more questionable in recent memory. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been exceptional since he was placed in left field and a new five-year extension coming Randal Grichuk’s way cements the two corner spots currently. Teoscar Hernandez has been awarded the middle, but hasn’t really taken complete control of the position, while fourth outfielder Billy McKinney has definitely deserved more of a look since being recalled from Buffalo.

There might just not be a spot for Pompey currently and the Jays were left in a tough position. He can go on to be the player that everyone hoped he would become for another team, or he might just flare out like he has in Toronto.