TORONTO, ON- MAY 4 - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Josh Walker (21) pitches as the Toronto Blue Jays play the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre in Toronto. May 4, 2025. Steve Russell/Toronto Star (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Toronto Star via Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays are struggling to recapture the momentum they enjoyed during their Cinderella run all the way to Game 7 of the World Series last year.
Despite some significant offseason additions to the roster, the Blue Jays sit toward the bottom of the American League East division, with injuries and poor performances taking a big toll.
Most recently, the team saw its pitching staff hit with another setback as it was forced to designate Eric Lauer for assignment, raising questions about who the team might be able to rely on as its fifth starter.
“From pouting to poor outings, from griping about his role with the team, to giving up far too many home runs, the Blue Jays had seen enough of pitcher Eric Lauer,” Rob Longley wrote for the Toronto Sun. “And now, an arm so central to the team’s championship run of a year ago is gone, a quarter of the way into this season. Perhaps even with an element of good riddance.”
Immediately after dismissing Lauer, the Blue Jays called up Yariel Rodriguez. But with Shane Bieber, Jose Berrios and Max Scherzer all sidelined, the team could need another arm soon.
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As the team considers its internal and external options for another pitcher, it has received an update on Josh Walker, who handled five innings in the majors for the team last year before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
“The (Baltimore) Orioles announced that they have selected left-hander Josh Walker to their roster,” Darragh McDonald reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “Walker, 31, has generally put up good numbers in the minors but has struggled in limited big league opportunities.”
The Blue Jays signed Walker in December 2024 and he logged a 7.20 ERA in 10 innings for the Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons before he was recalled last April. But, after a very short stint with the big-league team, the Blue Jays optioned him back to Triple-A, then traded him to the Phillies in the same month.
The Phillies designated Walker for assignment and the Orioles claimed him off of waivers before cutting him and now reacquiring him. As a result, it looks like the southpaw will see his next big-league opportunity with the Blue Jays’ division rival.
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“He has a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 big league innings. But dating back to the start of 2022, he has thrown 146 minor league innings with a 3.95 ERA,” McDonald added. “He will now give the Orioles a fourth lefty in their bullpen alongside Keegan Akin, Dietrich Enns and Grant Wolfram.”
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