Blue Jays activate Hernandez, place Giles on IL as part of roster moves

The Toronto Blue Jays activated slugger Teoscar Hernandez from the injured list prior to their game on Wednesday night against the New York Yankees. File Photo.

September 16, 2020

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

Looking to rebound from a game in which their pitching staff allowed the fourth-highest total of runs (20) in franchise history, the Toronto Blue Jays made a series of roster moves on Wednesday.

Joining the club is OF Teoscar Hernandez, RHP Jacob Waguespack, and RHP Hector Perez.

OF Derek Fisher (knee) and RHP Ken Giles (flexor strain) have been placed on the team's Injured List, and LHP Anthony Kay has been optioned to Toronto's alternate training site.

In 39 games prior to landing on the IL with an oblique issue on September 7, Hernandez slashed .308/.358/.637 with 14 home runs across 159 plate appearances. At the time of his injury, the 27-year-old trailed only Mike Trout for the most round-trippers in the American League, while his SLG % of .637 was the fifth-highest in Major League Baseball.

Perez, 24, joins the club having posted a cumulative ERA of 3.57 across 109 minor league appearances, all of which have come at the double-A level or lower. In 458 2/3 affiliated innings since breaking into pro ball as a 19-year-old in 2015, the 6-foot-3 product of Santo Domingo, D.R. has struck out 508 batters while walking 208. All but 30 of his professional appearances have come as a starter.

In 10 games with the Blue Jays this season, Waguespack has allowed 11 earned runs on 22 hits, walking eight and striking out 16. All but four of his outings have been of the multi-inning variety.

A day removed from throwing a season-high 49 pitches in two innings, Kay's move was made as an effort to add length to a bullpen that accounted for 6 1/3 frames in the loss to New York on Tuesday. In addition to being optioned, the former first-rounder was also added to the club's taxi squad.

Both Fisher and Giles have already spent time on the IL this season, the latter of which missed all of August and close to two weeks in September with the same flexor strain issue.

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