March 16, 2020

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO -- With right-handed pitching prospect Yennsy Diaz landing on the 60-day injured list with a reported right lat strain, veteran infielder Joe Panik has been added to the Toronto Blue Jays' 40-man roster.

In camp as a non-roster invitee, the native of Yonkers, N.Y. hit .384 (8-for-21) with a triple and two home runs across 10 Grapefruit League contests prior to action being halted as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus outbreak on March 13.

Known as a quality bat-on-ball type with limited power, Panik, 29, has slashed a respectable .271/.334/.384 over parts of six MLB campaigns dating back to his rookie season with the San Francisco Giants in 2014. An All-Star in 2015, the former first-round draft pick has never struck out more than 50 times in a single season.

Panik was signed to a minor league deal on January 18 and his pact came with an opt-out clause that could be exercised should he not make the team out of camp. Now on the 40-man, it would appear as if he's earned a spot on the Blue Jays' bench, backing up current infielders Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero when play resumes later this year.

In three spring games this year, the 23-year-old Diaz, who hails from Azua, D.R., stuck out four of the 15 batters he faced, allowing a pair of runs on three hits.

-Follow Andrew Hendriks on Twitter (@77hendriks)