Montero And Leone Back, Ohlman And Howell Gone

The Blue Jays made a couple of roster moves today, reinstating catcher Miguel Montero from the disabled list and reliever Dominic Leone from the bereavement list. In corresponding moves, Mike Ohlman and J.P. Howell have been designated for assignment.

The catcher situation was basically between Raffy Lopez and Ohlman when Montero was ready to return. The Jays ultimately opted to keep Lopez, the superior defensive catcher and game-caller, but, of course, he’ll be gone as soon as Russell Martin is set to return from injury.

The somewhat more surprising move was finally cutting ties with Howell, who only actually pitched 11 innings with the Jays this season. He was inked to a one-year, $3 million deal over the offseason, meaning Howell was paid roughly $90k for each out he recorded this year at the MLB level.

This bodes well for young lefties Matt Dermody and Tim Mayza, who will now likely be given an extended opportunity with the big league club.