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Blue Jays: Brendon Little, Lazaro Estrada recalled, Adam Macko and C.J. Van Eyk optioned amid roster shuffle
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Photo credit: © Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
Jul 18, 2026, 13:42 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays shuffled their bullpen ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Chicago White Sox. 
The Blue Jays announced that they recalled both Brendon Little and Lazaro Estrada from Triple-A Buffalo, and both will be active for today’s game. 
Little returns to the big-league club, and the left-hander is hoping the results will be better this time around. Through six games this season, Little is 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA and a 3.86 WHIP. Over his 4.2 innings pitched, Little has allowed 12 hits and walked six, leading to his demotion to the Bisons. 
After a rough 2025 postseason, Little’s first five outings were a struggle, leading to him being sent to Triple-A on April 5 to try to reset to the form he showed in 2025, when he had a 3.03 ERA. After a successful stint with the Bisons, Little returned to the Blue Jays on June 19 and, in his lone outing, turned in a pitching line of 1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, and was ultimately optioned the following day. 
In 30 games with the Bisons this season, Little is 7-1 with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. The left-hander has struck out 46 batters across his 32 innings pitched and held opponents to a .189 average. 
Estrada also returns for his third stint with the Blue Jays this season. Through two games at the MLB level, Estrada has pitched to a 2.84 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. In 6.1 innings, Estrada has allowed only one hit, four walks, and struck out three. 
The 27-year-old’s first appearance of the season came against the White Sox, an outing in which Estrada threw four hitless frames and struck out three. Following that outing on April 5, Estrada was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder impingement and was held off the mound until May 28. 
In eight games (two starts) with the Bisons this season, Estrada is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Estrada has struck out 16 in his 18 innings pitched and held opponents to a .185 average. 
To make room for Little and Estrada, both Adam Macko and C.J. Van Eyk were optioned to Triple-A. Through 19 games (one start) with the Blue Jays this season, Macko is 2-0 with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP to go along with 21 strikeouts across 19.2 innings pitched. 
While Macko got off to a great start to his MLB career, the 25-year-old has fallen on tough times through his four outings in July. Over five innings, Macko has allowed nine hits, nine earned runs, three walks, and has allowed at least two runs in all four of his appearances. 
Van Eyk returns to Buffalo after making his MLB debut on Friday night. The former second-round draft pick during the 2020 MLB Draft pitched two scoreless innings, allowed one hit, and picked up his first big-league strikeout when he set down Colson Montgomery swinging. 
Originally called up on July 12, the 27-year-old returns to Buffalo after a successful first appearance. In 17 games (13 starts) with the Bisons, Van Eyk is 5-3 with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. 
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