J.A. Happ Activated, Dominic Leone Odd Man Out

According to their official PR Twitter Account (and then literally everyone on Twitter immediately after) the Blue Jays have activated J.A. Happ from the 10-day disabled list. In a corresponding roster move to make room on the 25-man, righty Dominic Leone has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

This is obviously unfortunate for Leone who had pitched fairly well so far this season. Through 24 2/3 innings, Leone posted a 4.01 ERA and struck out 9.1 batters per nine innings. But when you have options, you’re going to be the one to go down, and as solid as Leone had been, Ryan Tepera and Danny Barnes have been better.

The Jays now have a normal roster – five starters, seven relievers, and 13 position players — for the first time in what seems like forever. I imagine the next step will be designating Mike Bolsinger for assignment (he’s out of options, but cleared waivers after spring training) once Francisco Liriano is ready to come back, and then making the Joe Biagini bullpen or starter decision once Aaron Sanchez returns.

Also, congrats to Ben Nicholson-Smith for winning the race!