Blue Jays may have gained an extra starter as Simeon Woods Richardson clears waivers

Simeon Woods Richardson will have a chance to continue reinventing himself in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization. The Blue Jays reunited with their former top prospect at the beginning of June, after a trade with the Minnesota Twins.

Woods Richardson was DFA'd by the Twins at the end of May and then sent to Toronto for cash considerations, marking the second time these two teams have completed a transaction involving the 25-year-old right-hander. Back in 2021, when Woods Richardson was still a prospect, he was sent to Minnesota in a package deal so that the Blue Jays could acquire José Berrios.

In his first stint with the Blue Jays, Woods Richardson posted a 0.00 ERA in three games out of the bullpen. He threw ten innings and held hitters to a .154 BABIP - but was getting extremely lucky as indicated by his 5.04 xERA and 6.14 FIP. However, it was also commendable to see Woods Richardson performing in that type of role.

He had been a starter his whole career and posted seasons of 1.8 and 1.2 fWAR in 2024 and 2025 in a combined 51 games (50 starts) and 245 innings pitched. He accumulated an 8.23 K/9 and had an xERA of 3.93. But this season was a different story and Woods Richardson struggled out of the gate in Minnesota as a starter then was sent to the bullpen for a couple of outings before he was DFA'd.

After three appearances with Toronto, Woods Richardson was again DFA'd and none of the other 29 teams picked him up on waivers, allowing the Blue Jays to have a potential depth starter in their midst down the stretch. Woods Richardson will report to Triple-A Buffalo and it's there where he will try to reestablish himself as a full-time starter.

Woods Richardson has something to prove in Buffalo

If Woods Richardson can get stretched out in Buffalo and rediscover his strike-throwing ability, he gives the Blue Jays an extra layer of protection in case anyone else ends up on the Injured List. Given the Blue Jays track record this season, it unfortunately feels like a matter of not if, but when, that will happen.

What made Woods Richardson successful in 2024 and 2025 was his ability to get strikeouts when needed while cutting down on his walk rate. He posted an 8.23 K/9 rate and a 3.45 BB/9 rate during those seasons, which aren't eye popping but his K numbers were just below league average and his walk numbers were just above. And they are much better than the 4.84 K/9 and 4.99 BB/9 he has posted in 15 games in 2026.

Right now in Buffalo, the Blue Jays have quite the assortment of starters who are either journeymen, budding prospects, or stop gaps who have had a stint in the big leagues already. Among them are Jake Bloss, Chad Dalls, Lazaro Estrada, Josh Fleming, and CJ Van Eyk. Woods Richardson doesn't stand out above any of them, but he also doesn't sit too far behind the pecking order of this group either and should be given plenty of opportunity to work through his struggles.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow