Blue Jays: Randal Grichuk and Aledmys Diaz activated from DL

Ahead of Friday’s series opener in Detroit, the Blue Jays have activated right fielder Randal Grichuk and shortstop Aledmys Diaz from the disabled list.

According to an official team announcement, the Blue Jays have activated Randal Grichuk and Aledmys Diaz from the disabled list, effective immediately. The lineup card for Friday night’s game has Grichuk playing in right field, batting eighth and Diaz at shortstop, batting ninth.

Another team announcement confirms that outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. and reliever Jake Petricka will head to the minors in corresponding moves.

Grichuk, who was injured in late April, slashed a paltry .106/.208/.227 prior to going on the DL, with two home runs and seven RBI. He appeared in 25 games and also clubbed two doubles. The Jays hope that getting him some more regular at-bats will kickstart his bat (he’s a career .242 hitter with 68 career dingers).

Manager John Gibbons said in a press session Friday afternoon that he expects Grichuk to get things going at the plate, according to a series of tweets by Sportsnet’s Mike Wilner. Wilner also noted that the Blue Jays were impressed with what they saw from Grichuk’s short rehab assignment in both Class-A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire.

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Diaz, on the other hand, was actually contributing quite nicely to the team before injury his ankle in Tampa Bay. With a .216/.273/.431 slash line, the shortstop smashed six home runs and four doubles in 102 at-bats, playing solid defense in the field. He also struck out just 16 times in 110 plate appearances, good enough for a 14.5% K rate.

Going the other way, Smith Jr. was enjoying a great stretch at the plate, putting up a fantastic .300/.382/.533 slash line in 34 plate appearances, lining four doubles and hitting a home run. He showed outstanding defensive prowess and will surely see the big leagues again soon.

Jake Petricka will head to Buffalo once again, following a short stint that saw him pitch to a 0.00 ERA over 2.0 innings, allowing three unearned runs on three hits while striking out three in three separate appearances. Petricka will likely continue to ride the shuttle bus from Toronto to Buffalo, helping out the big club if the bullpen needs some extra support.

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