Blue Jays designate Pop for assignment

The Toronto Blue Jays have designated right-hander Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.) for assignment. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays

March 28, 2025

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

The Toronto Blue Jays have designated right-hander Zach Pop for assignment.

The team announced the transaction yesterday as part of a series of roster moves on Opening Day.

By designating Pop (Brampton, Ont.), the Blue Jays will have up to five days to find a trade partner for him. If they can’t work out a deal, the 6-foot-4 right-hander will be placed on waivers for a 48-hour period. If he is not claimed, he could be assigned to triple-A Buffalo.

Pop was shut down by the Blue Jays on March 21 with elbow discomfort. At the time, they said he would not throw for seven-to-10 days. The 28-year-old righty, who signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Blue Jays in January to avoid arbitration, registered a 5.40 ERA in seven relief appearances this spring.

The 2024 campaign was a rough one for Pop. Although he made a career-high 58 relief appearances for the Blue Jays, the Junior National Team grad recorded a 5.59 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 48 1/3 innings.

In total, Pop posted a 4.89 ERA in 90 relief appearances in parts of three seasons with Blue Jays after they acquired him from the Miami Marlins on August 2, 2022.

Originally selected in the 23rd round by the Blue Jays out of Notre Dame Secondary School in Brampton, Ont., in 2014, Pop opted not to sign and headed to the University of Kentucky. After three collegiate seasons with the Wildcats, the young right-hander was chosen in the seventh round of the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made five scoreless appearances in Rookie ball for the Dodgers that year and allowed just one run in 19 games out of the bullpen in High-A the ensuing campaign before he was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles as part of the package for Manny Machado that July.

Pop spent parts of two seasons in the O’s organization before he was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Rule 5 draft in December 2020. The D-Backs then flipped him to the Marlins. The Junior National Team alum spent the entire 2021 season in the big leagues with the Marlins, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 4.12 ERA in 51 appearances, while striking out 51 batters in 54 2/3 innings.

Right-handers Tommy Nance and Nick Robertson were also designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Thursday.