Blue Jays designate Anthony Bass for assignment, activate Mitch White

In a bit of breaking news in Blue Jays Land, the club has announced that right-hander Anthony Bass has officially been designated for assignment, bringing an end to a failed tenure with the organization.

Bass, 35, came over to the Jays at last year's deadline in a trade with the Marlins, along with fellow relief pitcher Zach Pop,. This was the second go-round in Toronto for Bass, who pitched well in 2020 and 2022 before the wheels began to fall off this season.

Not only did the 12-year veteran share a controversial post on Twitter that ultimately led to him getting bullied off of the platform, but he also shared some anti-LGBTQ messages on Instagram, gave a very short and very scripted public apology and then later doubled down on the comments. Instead of a heartfelt apology, it was more along the lines of "I'm not sorry for what I said, I'm sorry you got offended."

On the field, he was not much better for the Blue Jays, which makes his DFA even less of a total shocker. In 22 outings so far, he posted a 4.95 ERA, 4.68 FIP and 84 ERA+ through 20 innings of work, walking nine batters and surrendering 11 earned runs in his short cameo with the 2023 Jays.

Mitch White, a pitcher who does not share his controversial opinions on social media, is set to come off of the 60-day injured list and will be active for tonight's game against the Twins. The 28-year-old was also acquired by the Jays at last year's deadline and has not quite been what the club expected him to be. After making 10 poor outings for the Jays last season, he has yet to suit up for the big league club this year thanks to multiple arm injuries.

Now White is back on the roster, even though he struggled mightily in eight rehab outings in the minor leagues, posting a combined 8.61 ERA in 23 innings of work. What he offers that is most important, is the ability to go multiple innings at a time, something the Blue Jays have needed as of late. While he is no longer viewed as an option to start games, this sort of flexibility is going to be an asset for a Jays team that is currently firing on all cylinders.