Blue Jays place Smoak, Jackson on IL, recall Shafer, McKinney

The Toronto Blue Jays placed 1B Justin Smoak on the 10-day injured list with a left quadriceps strain as part of a series of roster moves on Tuesday. Photo: John E. Sokolowski/USA Today Sports

June 18, 2019

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO -- Having used a total of seven pitchers in a game for only the seventh time in franchise history on Monday, the Blue Jays latest series of minor league call ups has produced both a position player and an arm.

OF Billy McKinney and RHP Justin Shafer made the trip north from Buffalo on Tuesday, while 1B/DH Justin Smoak and RHP Edwin Jackson landed on the 10-day injured list.

In 21 games with the triple-A Bisons since being optioned on May 21, McKinney has slashed .211/.322/.395 with a pair of home runs over 76 at-bats. His arrival in Toronto is likely a result of Teoscar Hernandez's status after crashing into an auxiliary scoreboard in left centre field and later being removed from Tuesday's due to a sprained wrist.

Optioned to triple-A as part of yesterday's list of roster transactions, Shafer is back and will likely be pressed into action at some point during Tuesday's contest. In five Major League assignments, the 26-year-old product of Lake Wales, Fla. has posted an ERA of 3.86 while allowing an opponents batting average of .286 over seven frames of work.

Having last appeared in a game on the June 14, Smoak (left quadriceps strain) will be eligible to rejoin the active roster when the Blue Jays square off against the New York Yankees on June 25. Jackson (lower back strain) lands on the IL after allowing seven earned runs on six hits over 2/3 of an inning during Tuesday's 10-5 loss to the Halos. Barring the emergence of another starting option, he will likely rejoin the club on June 28.

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