Blue Jays outright Brian Serven to triple-A after clearing waivers
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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Thomas Hall
Sep 20, 2024, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 20, 2024, 13:04 EDT
Though no longer on the 40-man roster, catcher Brian Serven remains with the Toronto Blue Jays organization after passing through waivers.
The club announced Thursday via its transaction page that Serven had been outrighted to triple-A Buffalo after clearing waivers. He was designated for assignment on Monday following the latest re-acquisition of switch-hitting backstop Tyler Heineman.
Heineman returned to the Blue Jays via a waiver claim from the Boston Red Sox, who designated him for assignment last week.
Toronto has three catchers on its 40-man roster: Alejandro Kirk, Heineman and Nick Raposo, who was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals last month and is currently assigned to the Bisons.
With Serven off to Buffalo, the franchise’s triple-A affiliate will now carry five catchers, including Raposo, Phil Clarke, Max McDowell and the now-healthy Payton Henry, who missed several months due to a scary head injury.
Prior to being designated for assignment, Serven had served as the backup catcher to Kirk following the Danny Jansen trade in July, a role that Heineman will now occupy.
In his first season with Toronto, the 29-year-old catcher struggled at the plate, hitting a measly .159/.243/.222 slash line while earning a 38 wRC+ across 28 games. He also struck out 22 times and produced only three walks, resulting in a 0.23 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
Since arriving post-Jansen trade, Serven earned most of his reps as Bowden Francis’ primary catcher, with the two developing instant chemistry together amidst a breakout stretch from the right-handed starter. In nine games, the duo created a 2.65 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 51 innings, with opponents slashing .153/.216/.307 against the 28-year-old hurler.
Still, Francis didn’t miss a beat with Kirk behind the plate in his most recent start against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, tossing six innings of two-run ball on five hits and one walk while punching out six as he delivered a seventh straight quality start.