Blue Jays release pitcher Clayton Richard, activate Elvis Luciano
The Toronto Blue Jays have released veteran pitcher Clayton Richard in order to free up a roster spot for Elvis Luciano who was activated off the injured list.
The Blue Jays will bid adieu to Clayton Richard following a season decimated with the injuries. The 36-year old was limited to just 45.1 innings on the mound due to a nagging knee and a lat injury. Richard went 1-5 with an inflated 5.96 earned run average in ten starts for the Jays this season.
Richard was acquired in the offseason from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Canadian minor-leaguer Connor Panas. The hurler earned $3 million in 2019 and was set to become a free agent at the conclusion of this season.
The southpaw last pitched on July 13th, a start he exited after two scoreless innings versus the Yankees. Chances are he shuts it down for rest of the season and hits the reset button in 2020 if the veteran decides to play. Richard has pitched in the majors for 11 seasons for four different teams- Jays, Padres, Cubs, and White Sox.
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The move affords the Blue Jays a roster spot to activate Rule 5 draft pick Elvis Luciano off the injured list. The 19-year old Luciano must remain on the active roster for the rest of the season for the team to hold onto his rights moving forward.
Luciano was fed to the wolves this season after having never pitched higher than Rookie ball in his professional career. A loophole in the Rule 5 process allowed for Luciano to be exposed and the Jays pounced on the promising arm.
The hurler made 20 appearances working out of the bullpen this season accumulating a 6.51 earned run average while striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings. The rookies season was derailed when he suffered a right elbow sprain back in June.