Blue Jays activate Clayton Richard, option Jimmy Cordero

The Toronto Blue Jays have activated Clayton Richard from the injured list as the hurler is scheduled to make his season debut this afternoon in the series finale versus the Boston Red Sox.

The Blue Jays acquired the veteran hurler this past offseason from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Canadian prospect Connor Panas. Richard has been sidelined since spring training with a stress reaction in his right knee.

The 35-year old made a rehab start for the Buffalo Bisons last week tossing 3.1 innings of shutout ball while fanning four Triple-A hitters. Richard will be the 11th different pitcher to start a game for Manager Charlie Montoyo already this season.

Richard made 27 starts last season for the Padres accumulating a 7-11 record with a 5.33 earned run average while striking out 6.9 batters per nine innings. The southpaw sported a negative -1.2 WAR rating in 2018 and is earning $3 million in the final year of his contract.

The veteran has pitched in 265 MLB games including 200 starts spanning over a decade in the majors. Richard owns a career 4.46 earned run average and 1.3 WAR while pitching for the White Sox, Cubs, and Padres.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day
• Blue Jays win important first game after Bichette’s late inning heroics

The Jays opted to option Jimmy Cordero in order to clear a spot on the 25-man roster for Richard. Cordero was recently claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals and made his debut last night surrendering a solo homer in the 13th inning to Michael Chavis. Surprisingly, Cordero still had an option remaining and did not have to be exposed to waivers.

The Jays and Nationals went tit-for-tat on the waiver wire last week as the Nationals claimed Javy Guerra following the Blue Jays claim of Cordero.

Hopefully, Richard is fully healthy and can provide some veteran stability at the backend of the Jays rotation moving forward from here on out.