Blue Jays DFA Veteran After Harsh Return, Welcome 2-Time All-Star To Roster

April 8, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 25: A view of a bag of baseballs and the Toronto Blue Jays logo before an MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals on Apr 25, 2024 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The Toronto Blue Jays reloaded a World Series caliber roster with several win-now additions, but the season hasn’t opened as they would have hoped.

The team dropped two of its first three series and then lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers by 12 runs in a Fall Classic rematch on Monday. And it seems the Blue Jays have been snakebitten by injuries.

“Blue Jays outfielder Addison Barger was placed on the injured list Tuesday before Toronto’s night game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre,” The Canadian Press reported. “The team also confirmed that catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb) would likely miss six weeks and starter Cody Ponce (knee) would likely be out for six months.”

Those injured players joined Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Yimi Garcia and Anthony Santander on the injured list and added to the Blue Jays struggles.

Toronto Blue Jays Lose 3 Key Players To Injured List In Short Order

As the team tries to field a healthy roster, it made a quick shuffle of its pitching staff on Tuesday.

“Left-hander Patrick Corbin … takes the spot of left-hander Josh Fleming, who has been designated for assignment,” Darragh McDonald reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “The Jays have recently been cycling through pitchers due to a few notable setbacks. Cody Ponce sprained the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week, opening a hole in their rotation. Eric Lauer has also been battling the flu lately, which pushed his Saturday start to Sunday.”

In the wake of those injuries, the addition of Corbin makes sense. In a 13-year major-league career, he has made more than 350 starts and earned All-Star nods twice with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made 30 starts for the Texas Rangers with a 4.40 ERA last year.

Toronto Blue Jays Replace Veteran With 2-Time All-Star After Harsh Debut

But the designation for Fleming, who is a six-year MLB veteran, was more of a surprise after the Blue Jays added him to the roster before Monday’s game. He entered in early relief for Max Scherzer and gave up four earned runs in three innings.

“It’s presumably not the return to the majors that Fleming hoped for,” McDonald added. “After being stuck in the minors in 2025, he got back to the show last night and was thrown into the proverbial lion’s den, having to face Shohei Ohtani and the dangerous Dodger lineup.”

The Blue Jays clearly felt that pushing Fleming off of the big-league roster was the best way to make room for Corbin, but he is out of minor league options, so he is most likely headed to waivers. If he clears waivers, he’ll have the opportunity to elect free agency and pursue a big-league opportunity elsewhere.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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