Blue Jays reassign Dalton Pompey, Brad Penny retires

The Blue Jays’ centre-fielder will begin the season with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he’ll serve as a quality next-man-up for the major league club

Roster trimming continues in Florida as the Blue Jays have reassigned outfielder Dalton Pompey to their Minor League camp.

Pompey entered camp in a battle with fellow Canadian Michael Saunders for the starting job in left-field, but a promising spring from Saunders (10 G, .320 AVG, 3 HR) and the organizational belief that Pompey could use further development created an early divide.

For the spring, Pompey was hitting .227 with two home runs and seven strikeouts in 22 at-bats. This move will align him with the starting centre-field job on the Buffalo Bisons, where he’ll receive everyday playing time and provide the Jays with an excellent recall option should injury or performance issues create a major league need.

Sliding Pompey down early will help to feed him as many at-bats as possible before the beginning of the season.

Pitcher Wade Leblanc and third baseman Matt Dominguez should also open the season as regulars for the Bisons.

The reassignment of Pompey clears the way for Junior Lake, Ezequiel Carrera, Domonic Brown, and Darrel Ceciliani to battle it out for the fourth outfield spot. Being a right-handed bat that is out of options, Lake should quickly become an intriguing option. Don’t discount the factor of Carrera being a known and trusted commodity to manager John Gibbons, though.

In other news, it’s another day, another veteran minor league retirement for the Blue Jays.

Penny joins Maicer Izturis and, more recently, reliever Rafael Soriano in retirement from Jays camp.

The veteran was roughed up in his Thursday outing, allowing five earned runs in just two innings. Penny did have an opt-out clause ahead of the season beginning, but it appears springtime in Buffalo did not appeal to the 37-year-old.