Blue Jays designate Mat Latos for assignment

A day after claiming Neil Ramirez off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, the Toronto Blue Jays had to cut ties with a pitcher on the roster.

Mat Latos has been designated for an assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays. They also claimed right-handed pitcher Cesar Valdez from the Oakland Athletics and have since sent him to the Buffalo Bisons.

In accordance to the move, the club has activated Neil Ramirez to the 25-man roster.

Latos last start was on of his worst starts of his career. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits while walking one batter in four innings Tuesday against the New York Yankees.

The Blue Jays signed Latos on February 16, 2017, to a minor league contract. After not winning a spot on the Blue Jays’ roster in spring training, Latos accepted an assignment to Triple-AAA Buffalo. He was called up on April 21 after injuries to J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez.

The 29-year old was 0-1 with a 6.60 ERA in three starts with the Blue Jays. Latos pitched 15 innings while striking out 10 batters.

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With Latos out of the picture, the Blue Jays are without starters for Sunday and Monday. Marcus Stroman, if healthy, is scheduled to start Tuesday so his start could very well get bumped up to Monday.

As for options for who could start in the rotation, Ryan Tepera, and Joe Biagini come to mind. Casey Lawrence would be another option however, he didn’t perform well in his two starts with the Blue Jays.

Latos time in Toronto was short-lived. It’ll be interesting to see which team will take a chance on Latos, who spent seasons with the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, and the Washington Nationals.

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If not, he’ll likely report to Triple-AAA Buffalo if he clears waivers.