TWO CALL-UPS JOIN BLUE JAYS AS REBUILD TAKES FULL FLIGHT
Buffalo battery mates Jansen, Reid-Foley joining Toronto for upcoming road trip
The Blue Jays rebuild is gaining momentum and the auditions are in full flight.
The club recalled two players from Triple A Buffalo on Sunday, catcher Danny Jansen and righthanded starter Sean Reid-Foley. That pair joins a Blue Jays team already full of recent minor league call-ups, including lefthanded starters Ryan Borucki and Thomas Pannone.
Shortstop Richard Urena was recalled from Buffalo last week, while infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was recalled from Double A New Hampshire on April 20. Gurriel is on the DL with a left ankle sprain, but is expected back soon.
The Blue Jays avoided a series sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday with a 2-1 victory at Rogers Centre.
The word is Reid-Foley will start in Kansas City on Monday night with Jansen catching.
The reason for Jansen being recalled is because third baseman Yangervis Solarte has been placed on the 10-day DL with a right oblique injury suffered while swinging at a pitch in Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Jays’ No. 1 catcher, Russell Martin, will play third while Solarte and Josh Donaldson are out. Donaldson is still recovering from left calf tightness.
In any event, the Jays are starting to look like a team embarking on a full-blown rebuild, partly because of injuries, but also because they want to see what some of their young guys can do in the big leagues.
Jansen, who hit .275 with 12 home runs in 88 games in Buffalo, said he was in a game against Toledo at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo and getting ready to bat when word got out he was heading up to Toronto.
“I was sitting in the hole, we were hitting, and the phone rang in the dugout. Jeff Stevenson (ATC and transaction co-ordinator) was there filling in for our trainer Bob Tarpey, and he whispered something to our hitting coach and then they were both trying to get a hold of (manager) Bobby Meacham at third base,” said the 23-year-old.
“As soon as that happened they looked at me and they gave like the ‘Can’t play anymore’ (sign). Soon as that happened, I was just like, ‘Is this really happening right now?’ I started hugging my teammates and that’s when Meach brought me in and told me.
“He said, ‘Kid, you’re going to the big leagues. I don’t want to see you again,’” Jansen said.
“So it was awesome. It’s like something I’ve never felt before. An amazing feeling.
“It really sunk in when I called my parents and got to talk to them.
“Some tears came out, so everybody’s happy, everybody’s excited, and my brother actually lives in Kansas City, so it’s a pretty awesome moment.”
The Appleton, Wis., native enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 and has carried that over to this year, appearing in the Futures Game prospect showcase during MLB’s all-star week festivities in July.
Reid-Foley, 22, got the word he was going to the big leagues for the first time on Saturday afternoon when Meacham and pitching coach Bob Stanley gave him the news.
“I called my dad first and then my mom,” said the 6-foot-3 righthander, who is a combined 12-4 with a 2.98 ERA over a combined 23 starts at Buffalo and Double A New Hampshire this season.
“My mom and my sisters are over in Ireland, so they won’t be able to make the outing. But it’s nice, because my sisters and my mom are seeing where my ancestors are from, so I told them not to worry about it, enjoy their time over there. And then I called my brother after that.”
Jansen was selected by the Blue Jays in the 16th round in the 2013 draft while the Jays selected Reid-Foley in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Reid-Foley had an excellent season in 2016 in the minors but struggled last year, going 10-11 with a 5.09 ERA in 27 starts in New Hampshire before bouncing back this season.
“Something that we harped on every day and worked on (this season) was fastball command,” Reid-Foley said.
“Down and away to each hitter and getting over the baseball. And once I started to get better at that, and repeating it, it helped with the results I was getting.”
He said, ‘Kid, you’re going to the big leagues. I don’t want to see you again.’ So it was awesome. It’s like something I’ve never felt before.