Blue Jays call up Alford, place Pompey on 60-day injured list

In wake of the Kevin Pillar trade, the Toronto Blue Jays called up outfielder Anthony Alford on Tuesday.

April 2, 2019

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO -- On a day that saw the Blue Jays ship Kevin Pillar off to the West Coast, the team also announced that Anthony Alford has been formally recalled from triple-A Buffalo.

Alford, 24, is ranked as the Blue Jays No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and joins the club after spending much of the 2018 campaign at minor league baseball's highest level.

Through parts of seven seasons in affiliated ball, the 6-foot-1 product of Petal, Miss., has slashed an impressive .265/.360/.385 with 120 extra-base hits over 413 games, the majority of which have been played since he made the decision to switch to baseball full-time in 2015.

In addition to a developing bat that helped the right-handed swinging outfielder knock four home runs in big league camp this spring, Alford also brings with him a 70-grade run tool and can be a threat both on the bases and defensively.

Toronto's outfield now consists of Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk, Billy McKinney and Alford.

SÓC IT TO 'EM

The team also completed a minor trade with San Diego on Tuesday, acquiring OF Sócrates Brito from the Padres in exchange for OF Rodrigo Orzoco.

Brito, 26, has spent parts of the last nine seasons in the minors, slashing .292/.338/.432 with 55 home runs on his career, 17 of which came with triple-A Reno in 2018.

With Tuesday's deal in the books, Toronto becomes the second organization to have claimed the option-less outfielder since he was placed on waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week.

60 DAY

Rounding out Tuesday's roster news, Mississauga native Dalton Pompey, who bumped his head on some bats in the Blue Jays clubhouse last month, has been placed on the 60-day injured list. In addition to giving Pompey more tome to recover, the move also clears a spot on the Blue Jays 40-man roster for Brito.

For Pompey, this is the latest in a series of head injuries that began when he crashed into a wall while running down a foul out as a member of the Buffalo Bisons on June 18, 2016.

Out of options himself, the former 16th-round draft pick was fighting for a roster spot this spring and slashed .282/.282/.436 across 39 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

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