Blue Jays: RHP Chris Rowley claimed off waivers by Texas Rangers

Shortly after being optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo, right handed pitcher Chris Rowley has found a new home with the Texas Rangers.

According to a team announcement, 27-year-old right-handed pitcher Chris Rowley has been claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays by the Texas Rangers. Rowley, who appeared in just two games as a Blue Jay this season, was quietly removed from the 40-man roster at some point in the last two weeks.

Unfortunately for the Jays, Rowley’s removal from the extended roster did not go as discretely as intended, as evidenced by his claiming by the Rangers. According to several sources, the Texas Rangers 40-man roster was one spot short of full prior to this move, so there’ll be no corresponding transaction on their end.

Rowley, who was signed by the Jays out of West Point Military Academy, has pitched 19.1 career innings in the big leagues, pitching to an ERA of 7.91 and striking out 11 while walking 11 as well. He is under team control until the 2024 season, and will become arbitration eligible in 2021.

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Primarily appearing this year for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Rowley was quite good, pitching to a 3.30 ERA in 101.0 frames across 17 starts, fanning 63 while issuing just 42 walks. With a season’s WHIP of 1.386, he finishes his Blue Jays minor league career with a record of 25-16 and a career ERA of 2.84.

Simply put, Rowley is a victim of an unexpected roster crunch. With starters Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman bouncing on and off the disabled list, it appeared as though Rowley’s spot as a shuttle bus spot starter became obsolete, although not for lack of effective performance.

This marks the second time the Rangers have claimed a Blue Jays pitcher off waivers this season, the first being Deck McGuire in early June. Rowley will most likely serve a similar purpose as McGuire, acting mostly as organizational depth from this point forward.

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The Rangers have already announced that Rowley will be heading to their Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, Texas, where he’ll join fellow former major leaguers Cliff Pennington and Shawn Tolleson in the Pacific Coast League.