Blue Jays Roster Moves

TL;DR

The Toronto Blue Jays have made roster changes, bringing up pitcher Yariel Rodriguez and placing Eric Lauer on DFA. Additionally, Addison Barger is on the IL, with Yohendrick Piñango called up to replace him.

Key points

Yariel Rodriguez called up to replace Eric Lauer
Eric Lauer designated for assignment
Addison Barger placed on the injured list
Yohendrick Piñango promoted from the minors
Rodriguez has been effective in the minors

Toronto Blue JaysBuffalo Bisons

Oct 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (29) throws in the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners during game three of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images | John Froschauer-Imagn Images This morning, our head Tom reported that Yariel Rodriguez was coming up and speculated that Eric Lauer might be the roster casualty. He was right, as Lauer caught a DFA this morning and his roster spot has gone to Rodriguez. It’s been a rough season for Lauer. As Tom noted, his velocity is down. for a while that could be attributed to the stomch flu he suffered in early April, but that was a month ago and in his most recent outing he was still a mile per hour off his average from last year. For a guy who didn’t have great stuff at his best, losing a little edge is a problem. It’s been confounded by some location issues. If he makes it through waivers, hopefully he’s able to work in Buffalo and rediscover his form from last season, but I suspect we’ve seen the last of him in a Blue Jays uniform. Rodriguez, meanwhile, was DFA’d back in the winter. He’s been effective as a 1-2 inning reliever for the Bisons, with a few more walks than you’d like but an excellent strikeout rate. He’s de-emphasized his fastballs and leaned harder on his splitter, throwing either that or the slider 70% of the time. Hopefully that translates to the majors, as Rodrigez has been a pretty disappointing singing after a lot of hope when he came over from Japan. In other news, is officially on the IL. That’s hardly a surprise after it was announced this morning that he was getting an MRI on his elbow. No actual new information on the injury has been reported. Coming up in his place is Yohendrick Piñango. The Venezuelan rookie made an impression in his first call up this season, striking out just three times in 27 PA and posting excellent contact numbers and strong exit velocities. The latter haven’t translated into MLB power yet as he struggles to get the ball in the air with authority, but all the tools are there to hope that he can replace most of what Barger would offer offensively even if he can’t match his defense.

Q&A

Why was Eric Lauer designated for assignment by the Blue Jays?

Eric Lauer was designated for assignment due to a decline in his velocity and performance issues throughout the season.

What impact will Yariel Rodriguez have on the Blue Jays' bullpen?

Yariel Rodriguez is expected to contribute as a 1-2 inning reliever, having shown effectiveness in the minors with a strong strikeout rate.

Who is replacing Addison Barger on the Blue Jays roster?

Yohendrick Piñango has been called up to replace Addison Barger, who is currently on the injured list.