Blue Jays: Wednesday afternoon roster moves

With the recent acquisition of Adam Cimber and the return of Steve Matz from the injured list, the Blue Jays made a handful of roster moves Wednesday afternoon before the evening game.

The club acquired Cimber from the Miami Marlins, which also brought in Corey Dickerson in exchange for Joe Panik and a prospect.  Cimber has four years of major league experience and had appeared in 33 games this season posting a 2.88 ERA.  The addition helps the bullpen which the Blue Jays drastically need and he reported to the team today which put him on the active roster.

Matz has been on the COVID-related injured list over the past couple of weeks and was reinstated today and will start Wednesday tonight’s game against the Seattle Mariners.  Matz has not pitched since June 12 when he went into the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox, allowing just one run and striking out eight.

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To make room for the two pitchers, the Blue Jays optioned both Joel Payamps and Anthony Castro to Triple-A Buffalo, while Jeremy Beasley was designated for assignment.

Payamps has been a pleasant surprise for the club this season after being placed on waivers four different times this past offseason.  This year, Payamps has pitched in 22 games and posted a 2.70 ERA over 30 innings pitched, while keeping runners off base with his 1.07 WHIP.  Payamps has not been used often as of late and you have to wonder if the move is more to let him heal from some sort of injury.  He had been one of the few dependable arms in the bullpen this season but has pitched in just one game over the last two weeks.

Castro has been another nice surprise after he was claimed off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers this past offseason.  The right-hander has been dependable for the first part of the season as he had a minuscule 1.38 ERA through June 9, however, went through a stretch of allowing seven earned runs over four outings (2.2 IP) in mid-June.  Castro had gotten back on track as he has had three straight outings without allowing a run, including striking out the side in his most recent appearance against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

Lastly, Beasley was acquired for cash in late April from the Arizona Diamondbacks but has been unreliable.  He has pitched in eight games out of the bullpen and has kept opponents off the scoreboard just three times as he has posted a 7.71 ERA.

What are your thoughts on Castro and Payamps being optioned to Buffalo, do you think that is the right move right now?