Blue Jays add catcher Beau Taylor to the big league roster

Catcher Beau Taylor, whom the Blue Jays claimed off waivers in August, will join the major-league team in Toronto Sunday.

According to an official team announcement, the Blue Jays have called up catcher Beau Taylor from Triple-A, making him the first official call-up of September 2019.

The announcement also notes that Taylor will wear number 72, a number that, per Baseball Almanac, has never been worn by a player in Blue Jays history.

Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and Sportsnet The FAN 590’s Ben Wagner were the first to report that Taylor was on his way to join the team in Toronto. Davidi also noted, albeit subtly, that the team will add more names “later”, presumably in the form of a starting pitcher or two.

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Taylor, a 29-year-old Rockledge, Florida native, was claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics on August 16 and was promptly assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, where he appeared in 10 games, slashing .188/.282/.250 with four RBI and six hits in 32 at-bats.

Prior to joining the Athletics, Taylor attended the University of Central Florida and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft, four picks ahead of Blue Jays hurler Sam Gaviglio and six picks ahead of Red Sox superstar Mookie Betts.

In 33 plate appearances for the A’s, Taylor went 5-for-27 with five walks and eight strikeouts, enjoying brief stints with the big club this year and last.

Taylor will primarily be serving as the team’s third catcher for the month of September, as TSN’s Scott Mitchell and MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson allude to on Twitter.

In Buffalo, other catchers that have seen significant playing time include Reese McGuire (72 G, 243 ABs), Michael De La Cruz (51 G, 158 ABs) and Patrick Cantwell (21 G, 66 ABs). More to come if and when there are more roster additions.