We got a couple of Blue Jays roster moves this afternoon:
First, Simeon Woods Richardson was DFA’d to make room for Adam Macko. SWR made three appearances for the Jays after being reacquired from the Twins. He initially joined the Jays organization as part of the return from the Mets for Marcus Stroman, before being shipped out along with Austin Martin in the Jose Berrios trade. They brought him back from Minnesota in exchange for cash last month. He had a couple of decent seasons in Minnesota’s rotation in 2024 and 2025, but had lost the plot this season, posting a 7.74 ERA with just one more strikeout than walk. Since coming back to Toronto, he hasn’t allowed a run, but the underlying stats (7 walks against 5 strikeouts in 10.0 innings over three appearances) remain ugly. The Jays will no doubt hope he makes it through waivers so they can continue to try to help him rediscover his form in Buffalo.
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Coming back up is Adam Macko. The Slovak-Canadian lefty has performed pretty well since converting full time to relief this season. In 12 appearances with the Blue Jays, he’s struck out 12 against 11 hits and two walks, allowing 2 runs over 12.0 innings pitched. He hasn’t been quite that strong in Buffalo, but his 25:10 K:BB ratio in 21 innings is still strong. He’ll inject a realtively fresh arm to a bullpen that’s been heavily taxed in the first half of this season.
The other move was also a surprise:
3B/1B Sean Keys is apparently with the Jays and is likely to be activated for tomorrow, presumably receiving SWR’s 40-man roster spot. Keys, 23, was a fourth round pick in 2024 out of Bucknell. He was our #17 prospect heading into the season, buoyed by strong underlying data that suggested his just OK results in A+ Vancouver last season were underselling his true offensive talent. Sure enough, he began 2026 at AA New Hampshire, forced his way up to AAA Buffalo, and has been one of the five or six best hitters in all of the upper minors. His combined .284/.409/.619 line is 64% above average. He brings easy plus power and a swing geared to lift and pull the ball to maximize his impact. He will swing and miss, but not excessively, and he has a strong approach. He’ll have to hit, as while he’s reportedly a hard worker he’s just not a great athlete and is a liability at third and not great at first either.
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The corresponding move hasn’t been announced, but the speculation is that George Springer is likely to go on paternity leave, as his wife is expecting their third child any day now. If that’s the case, Keys’ cameo is likely to be brief for now. I suspect we’ll see him more of him at some point, though.
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