5 Blue Jays who won’t finish the month of August on the big league roster

Steward Berroa

After spending six seasons in the Jays’ minor league system, Steward Berroa finally made his elusive MLB debut this year with Toronto. He was only able to secure his opportunity after the Jays ran into quite the injury woes in June. Known mainly for his speed and defense, he has certainly put that on full display during his short tenure with the team so far. Playing mainly in a reserve role, Berroa has stolen 5 bases along with sporting a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage over 50 innings in the field in 15 games.

However, with just one RBI, a .158 batting average and .484 OPS to show for from an offensive standpoint, Berroa has left a bit to be desired in that regard. Now with the recent addition of Joey Loperfido and the promotion of Barger who has been getting some outfield time, Berroa will likely see an even more reduction in playing time going forward, so much that he may even be optioned and be replaced by a call-up before the month is over.

Yerry Rodríguez 

Yerry Rodríguez was acquired from the Rangers by the Jays back at the end of June after he was designated for assignment by Texas. The acquisition added some much needed pitching depth for the organization at a time when the Jays’ pitching staff was enduring some of its struggles and injury woes.

After making a good impression with the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons by posting a tidy 1.80 ERA with 8 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched over five appearances, Rodríguez was recalled by the Jays towards the end of July. However, he had a forgettable debut with the club on July 29 when he gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in just 1 2/3 innings against Baltimore.

Given Rodríguez has often battled control issues throughout his career, with a lifetime 1.77 WHIP and a walk rate of 4.6 batters per nine innings for his MLB career, he is most likely just a stop-gap solution for the Jays’ bullpen for now. He will likely hold on to a roster spot until the team decides to bring up a pitching prospect or two to evaluate in the coming weeks. At that point in time, Rodríguez would likely be sent back to the minors since he has an option remaining.