Blue Jays announce a trio of surprising roster moves

Prior to Tuesday night's game against the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays have announced a trio of roster moves, all being fairly surprising developments.

Here's the quick recap of all of the moving parts:

• Outfielder Cam Eden has had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo.
• Infielder Ernie Clement has been optioned to Triple-A.
• Infielder Mason McCoy has been designated for assignment.

Obviously the biggest news here is the promotion of Cam Eden to the big league roster. The 25-year-old has been a stolen base machine in Triple-A this year, swiping a Bisons franchise record 53 bags in just 57 attempts. His role on the Blue Jays' active roster is an obvious one: pinch runner extraordinaire. In 131 games for the Bisons this year, Eden has 19 doubles, three home runs, 48 RBI and an OPS of just .687, so he's not so much going to be brought up for his bat.

On defense, Eden's blazing speed translates beautifully to the outfield. He can play all three positions in the grass with ease, and has the perfect amount of range and agility to play center field at an above-average rate. In 737 innings in center, he did not make a single error this season.

Clement, 27, has been a huge revelation for the Blue Jays this season, both in the big leagues and minor leagues. In 69 games for Buffalo, he hit 11 home runs with 25 walks and just 15 strikeouts, also posting a .339 average and .927 OPS. He did everything right to earn a promotion to the majors, where he continued to hit the ball well. In 30 games for the Jays, he posted a .380 average and .885 OPS while remaining a defensive weapon at second, third and short. He has become something of a fan favorite amongst Jays fans and will most certainly be back.

Then there's McCoy, who just came over to the Blue Jays a few months ago at the trade deadline. The 28-year-old made it into six games for the Jays, scoring two runs and registering just one at-bat in that time. Down in Buffalo, where he's spent the majority of his time post-trade, he's hit just .171 in 27 games. While many were initially confused by his surprise promotion a few weeks ago, it's worth noting that he's widely regarded as the best defensive shortstop in the entire organization. The slick-fielding minor leaguer will likely remain in the Jays' organization, which, contrary to popular belief, will not be a bad thing.