Benoit ready to prove himself with Jays

Joaquin Benoit is hoping a change of scenery will do him some good.

The right-handed reliever, acquired by the Blue Jays late Tuesday night in a trade that sent fellow right-hander Drew Storen to the Seattle Mariners, arrived at Rogers Centre on Wednesday ready for a fresh start.

Benoit, who turned 39 on Tuesday, struggled in Seattle this season, racking up a 5.18 earned-run average over 26 appearances out of the bullpen, and walking 5.5 batters per nine innings, his highest walk rate since 2008 in Texas.

“At first (at the beginning of the season) I was having soreless in my shoulder and had some inflammation so I wasn’t able to control my arm,” Benoit said of his struggles.

“But now I throw way better, I feel like I can contribute more to the team and I guess the move was right on time.”

Benoit is 55-43 with a 3.87 ERA in 687 career games, including 55 career starts, spanning 15 major league seasons. He was acquired by Seattle from San Diego in exchange for righthander Enyel De Los Santos and infielder Nelson Ward in November 2015.

“That’s the business side of baseball – you play on one team and the next day you’re somewhere else,” Benoit said. “I was here two days ago and now I’m back.”

The Blue Jays lost 8-4 yesterday to the San Diego Padres. Benoit pitched the ninth inning, walking two and striking out two.