Tommy Nance's return to Blue Jays comes with a surprising cost

After a brief stay on the injured list, Tommy Nance is returning to action. The Toronto Blue Jays announced that he'll be activated today ahead of their series with the Philadelphia Phillies. More surprisingly, he'll be taking the spot of Yariel Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment.

Nance has been out since the middle of May with forearm tightness, joining a laundry list of relievers who are or have been on the injured list at some point in 2026. Thankfully, it appears the injury wasn't too serious, as he required one lone rehab appearance before getting the call back to Toronto.

The effective release of Rodriguez is surprising given his contract and track record, but things had been trending this way for some time, as he was responsible for a 7.71 ERA across 10 appearances this season.

Yariel Rodriguez DFA proves Blue Jays will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of playoffs

Rodriguez began the year in Triple-A Buffalo, where he completely dominated to the tune of a whiff rate above 50%. That obviously earned him another chance with the Blue Jays, but he simply couldn't find his best stuff with any consistency.

Save for an impressive hard-hit rate, the 29-year-old reliever wasn't doing anything well, even walking more hitters than he struck out. The changes he made in Triple-A simply didn't carry over to the majors, rendering a pitcher who broke out in 2024 as a starter completely irrelevant as a reliever.

Given his remaining contract -- the team owes him $8 million in 2027 -- it would be stunning if another organization traded for or claimed Rodriguez on waivers. More likely, he'll pass through waivers, at which point the Blue Jays can outright him to Triple-A or release him. No matter what, there is now an open 40-man roster spot in Toronto, which could enable the front office to bring in a new player, be it a top prospect, free agent, or trade acquisition.

It's telling that the Blue Jays were willing to do this now, despite their 32-34 record. Not all ownership groups are willing to eat that kind of dead money, which points to the idea that the team plans to be competitive over the final four months of the regular season.

Getting healthier will surely accomplish that, and Nance's return could be the start of an upcoming wave. The 35-year-old was tremendous a year ago (1.99 ERA, 1.87 FIP) and was steady this season prior to his injury (3.86 ERA, 2.49 FIP). He'll be an immediate upgrade in the middle innings over Rodriguez, helping to bridge the gap to star closer Louis Varland.

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