News and Notes: Wes Parsons DFA’ed, Paolo Espino added to the 40-man roster, injury updates, and more!

Photo credit:© John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

24 days ago

The Blue Jays returned to action on Friday with a ton of news surrounding the team.

A natural disaster happened in the city they are in, there was a roster move, and a whole bunch of updates on injured players.

Let’s dig in!

Earthquake hits New York City

As you may know, the Blue Jays are in New York City for a three-game series against the Yankees. Well at around 10:23 AM on Friday morning, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, between Allentown and New York City.

Thankfully, it appears no one was injured and it wasn’t even felt by the Blue Jays beat team, according to MLB.com Keegan Matheson.

There was no delay in starting the game.

Paolo Espino selected, Wes Parsons DFA’ed

About 20 minutes later, it was reported by several reporters that Paolo Espino had been added to the 40-man roster, while Wes Parsons was designated for assignment.

Espino, 37, had a fantastic Spring Training, posting a 2.65 ERA and a 3.56 FIP in 17 innings pitched, along with a 36.4 K% and a 3 BB%. In his one start with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he pitched six innings giving up no runs and striking out 25% of batters.

Parsons, on the other hand, has had a rough start to his season, posting a 10.80 ERA and an 8.86 FIP in five innings pitched with the Jays this season. He has an even 8.7 BB% and K%.

Espino will give them length in the bullpen and despite sitting in the high-80s with his heater, he seemingly can generate a ton of swing and miss.

Update on injured relievers

On Friday morning, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported on Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano, as well as a few other players we’ll get to soon.

It appears that Swanson appears to be closer as he’s already thrown a live bullpen, while Romano will throw a live bullpen soon and will get into minor league rehab games.

Both relievers are fundamental to the Blue Jays bullpen, as Romano has been the team’s closer since the 2021 season, while Swanson is the setup guy. Last season, Romano had a 2.90 ERA and a 3.46 FIP in 59 innings pitched, while his 36 saves were tied for fifth in the league.

Swanson, who was acquired in the Teoscar Hernández trade in November 2022, had a 2.97 ERA and a 3.51 FIP in 66.2 innings pitched last season.

Danny Jansen + Alek Manoah update

In a follow-up Tweet, Davidi reported on the injured Danny Jansen and Alek Manoah.

Jansen caught both Romano and Swanson and also took batting practice. Soon enough, he’ll face the velocity machine before likely heading to rehab games. Last season, the catcher slashed .228/.312/.474 with 17 homers in 301 plate appearances. He was hit by a pitch and fractured a bone near his wrist.

Manoah has been dealing with a shoulder injury picked up in a side session after his first Grapefruit League start. The 26-year-old right will start Sunday’s game in Dunedin with the Dunedin Blue Jays and is set to pitch four innings or 65 innings.

Joey Votto update

The final update from Davidi is that Votto’s ankle is doing better and he’s doing some defensive work.

If you can recall, Votto homered in his first plate appearance as a Blue Jay in Spring Training, but later rolled his ankle on a loose bat in the dugout. It appeared like it was going to be a day-to-day thing, but he still hasn’t played since the incident on March 18.

When he returns, it appears that the veteran will head to Buffalo to get some reps in Triple-A. Perhaps by then, the Blue Jays will know what they have in Daniel Vogelbach, who has just six plate appearances in Toronto’s eight games so far this season.

Otto López claimed by Miami

During Spring Training, former Blue Jays top prospect Otto López was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays and picked up by the San Francisco Giants. Well, the Giants designated him for assignment and he was picked up by the Miami Marlins according to Alex Pavlovic.

Last season in Triple-A, Lopez slashed .258/.313/.343 with two homers in 346 plate appearances in an injury-filled season. The 25-year-old’s start with San Francisco’s Triple-A team wasn’t any better, as he slashed .167/.167/.167 in six plate appearances.

Hopefully, he’ll get an opportunity with the Marlins.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

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