The Toronto Blue Jays made a pair of roster moves on Tuesday. The Blue Jays reinstated Orelvis Martinez from the suspended list and transferred Daulton Varsho to the 60-day injured list. In late June, MLB suspended Martinez, 22, for 80 games for violating its Joint Drug and Treatment Program. Although his suspension officially ended on Monday, he was allowed to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on September 8, 15 days before the completion of his suspension. Toronto optioned Martinez to its spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla.
ROSTER MOVES:
🔹 INF Orelvis Martinez reinstated from the Suspended List and optioned to the Spring Training Complex
🔹 OF Daulton Varsho transferred to the 60-day IL pic.twitter.com/rRW40DUYoX
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 24, 2024
Blue Jays Reinstate Orelvis Martinez, Transfer Daulton Varsho to 60-day IL
Toronto won’t see Martinez again until spring training. As for Varsho’s season is over, and moving him to the 60-day IL opens roster space in the short term. He had surgery to fix a rotator cuff issue in the front of his shoulder. However, Varsho told Sportnet’s Shi Davidi he hopes “to be full-go by then” for spring training. Varsho led all outfielders with a combined 28 defensive runs saved this season, hitting .214/.293/.407 in 136 games. Varsho, Will Wagner, Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano will need to be reinstated from the 60-day IL at the start of the offseason.
Martinez appeared in one major league game, going 1-for3 with a single before his suspension. He’s among the top prospects in the Blue Jays farm system, posting a .267/.346/.523 batting line in Triple-A. It’s similar to the .263/.340/.507 line he put in six Triple-A games in 2023.
The Blue Jays are gearing up for the 2025 season with a lineup competition in the infield. Martinez, Wagner, Bo Bichette, Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, and Leo Jimenez are all vying for playing time. Martinez will need to earn a look next year, especially after missing significant time. However, the unsettled infield mix will create plenty of opportunities, even if they bring in some veteran help this offseason. While there have been speculations about the possibility of trading Bichette, it seems that the Blue Jays are leaning towards making a push for contention in the upcoming season.
