Blue Jays release RHP Nick Kingham

The Blue Jays have officially released right-handed pitcher Nick Kingham after designating him for assignment on August 25.

The Blue Jays have released right-handed pitcher Nick Kingham, according to the team’s official transactions log on MLB.com.

Previously, Kingham had been designated for assignment on August 25 after being placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain on August 3.

Prior to that, the native of Houston, Texas bounced twice between the major leagues and the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, appearing in 12 games overall in the Blue Jays organization.

It had previously been reported by Scout.com that Kingham was expected to be out of action through at least August 31 due to injury.

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Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft (the same round as righty Sam Dyson of 2015 ALDS fame and Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario) out of Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas, Kingham, 27, spent the first nine seasons of his professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After several minor-league seasons, he reached the major-leagues in 2018, tossing 76.0 frames to an ERA of 5.21, striking out 69 and walking 26 while adding five wins in 18 appearances.

A rough start with the Pirates this season led to his move to Toronto, where he appeared in 11 games for the big club, striking out 14 in 21.0 innings, pitching to an ERA of 3.00 and finishing two games, picking up two wins in the process.

With Buffalo, Kingham pitched in just a single game, allowing five earned runs in two innings on July 26 against Durham.

According to Baseball-Reference, Kingham, who has accrued roughly 0.092 years of major-league service time, will be arbitration-eligible in 2022.

At this point, there have no reports regarding Kingham’s future with the team, though it certainly is possible that he re-signs with the Blue Jays (or another organization, for that matter) on a sensibly-priced minor-league pact.