Blue Jays send Franklin Morales to DL, activate Marco Estrada

The move leaves the Blue Jays with both Joe Biagini and Arnold Leon still on the roster, but the need for a second lefty could soon change that

After a week of debate between Arnold Leon and Joe Biagini for who would lose their 25-man roster spot in favour of Marco Estrada, we have our answer.

In classic baseball fashion, it’s neither.

Instead, Mike Wilner reports that the Blue Jays have placed reliever Franklin Morales on the 15-day disabled list with weakness and fatigue in his left arm. On Friday night, Morales warmed in the bullpen was was unable to get “loose”.

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The leaves the Blue Jays with a traditional seven-man bullpen, but an untraditional construction with just one left-handed pitcher in Brett Cecil. Given that Cecil is almost exclusively saved for the seventh and eighth innings, the Blue Jays seem very unlikely to go the extent of Morales’ DL stint with this same group of relievers.

This puts the spotlight back on Biagini and Leon, or at least it should.

Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte would seem to be the next man up if Toronto decides to add a second lefty, as he just narrowly missed out on a roster spot this spring. Lefty Chad Girodo and Ryan Tepera, a right-hander who the Blue Jays are optimistic can post reverse splits, would also be in the conversation from the triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

It is difficult to have both of a bullpen’s long-men be an “out of options” arm (which Biagini is for the sake of these conversations, as his Rule 5 status necessitates that he spend the entire year on the 25-man roster or be offered back to the San Francisco Giants).

After Sunday afternoon’s finale against the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays have Monday off before welcoming the New York Yankees.