Blue Jays announce a roster move prior to series against the Astros

Prior to the three-game series against the Houston Astros, the Toronto Blue Jays have announced a roster move: Nathan Lukes has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo and Jordan Luplow has been optioned.

This move comes as little surprise to most followers of the Jays, as Lukes has been tearing it up in Triple-A while Luplow has struggled in the first few games of his Blue Jays career.

Lukes, 28, was sent down to the minor leagues after just three games in the majors. All three of his appearances came as a pinch runner and he did not register a single at-bat or inning in the field on defense. Since his demotion, he has gone eight-for-24, good for a .333 average, hit a home run, drove in six runs and walked (5) more times than he's struck out (1).

What makes Lukes attractive is his speed on the bases, gap power and defense. In the outfield grass, he is seen as an above-average defender at all three spots.

Luplow, 29, has historically been seen as a lefty masher, but he has shed that label a bit in recent years. After a dreadful season with the Diamondbacks last year (.176 average, 79 OPS+ in 83 games), he had yet to register a single hit before being optioned by the Blue Jays. In six at-bats, he struck out four times, drew a walk and scored a run. Luplow was only on the active roster to serve as a pinch-hit option against the trio of lefties the Jays recently faced against the Angels.

This is likely not going to be the last we've seen of Luplow for the Blue Jays, as he does offer a few tools that the club could use to its advantage, but for right now, Lukes is the better choice.