Blue Jays continue to make moves, remove Cam Eden from the 40-man roster

With multiple players hitting the open market on expiring contracts, the Toronto Blue Jays' 40-man roster has been shrinking over the past few days. Each of Whit Merrifield, Hyun Jin Ryu, Brandon Belt, Matt Chapman, Jordan Hicks and Kevin Kiermaier all were removed from the roster.

Taking their place is the newly-acquired Brendon Little and Mitch White, whose second-half resurgence in the minor leagues earned him a(nother) spot on the 40-man.

Entering Tuesday, the club's roster sat at 39. In the afternoon, the Blue Jays released one of their trademarked "ROSTER MOVES" posts on X and announced that speedy outfielder Cam Eden has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Eden, 25, was drafted by the Blue Jays. in the 6th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He made a rather quick ascension through the minor league system thanks to his ridiculous speed on the bases and his well above-average defensive chops.

This year in Triple-A prior to his promotion to the big leagues, he hit 19 doubles and 3 home runs with 48 driven in. On the bases, he stole 53 bags in 57 attempts. His .257 batting average and .687 OPS aren't enough to blow you away, but the speed he possesses is legit. This is precisely why the Jays selected his contract and kept him on the big league roster as a pinch-runner/late-inning defensive replacement.

On defense, Eden plays all over the grass. This year in the minors, he spent the majority of his time in center, where he did not commit a single error in 91 appearances and 737 innings. He also made 8 appearances in left and another 28 in right field.

Moving forward, there may not be much of a fit for Eden on the Blue Jays' big league roster. He has little-to-no bat to speak of and while the speed is nice, this is a club that desperately needs more offense. He could be dangled as trade bait at some point this offseason or will just serve the organization as minor league filler in the 2024 season.

For now, Eden's most memorable moment in the game will be when he received a standing ovation before, during and after his first major league at-bat.