Blue Jays claim infielder Valera off waivers

RHP Baker, INF Kivlehan and OF Palacios added to Player Pool

July 2nd, 2020

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays made their first external roster move of the new 2020 season on Thursday, claiming infielder Breyvic Valera off waivers from the Padres.

Along with Valera, the Blue Jays also added right-hander Bryan Baker, infielder Patrick Kivlehan and outfielder Joshua Palacios to their Player Pool.

Valera finished the 2019 season with a brief, five-game stint with the Blue Jays after being claimed off waivers from the Yankees. The 28-year-old Venezuelan went 4-for-15 (.267) with a home run and three RBIs and was almost carried on the roster into 2020 Spring Training, but the club designated him for assignment on February 8 to make room for reliever Rafael Dolis.

Now that he’s back with the Blue Jays, Valera gives the club another versatile infield option with the ability to play second, third and shortstop. He hasn’t seen much outfield time in the big leagues, but was used there semi-regularly earlier in his Minor League career. While his numbers at the plate haven’t translated much in the Majors, he owns a career average of .299 with a .758 OPS in the Minors and has had plenty of success at the Triple-A level.

The Blue Jays starting infield is set with Joe Panik a likely reserve, so Valera will join a crowded competition behind that group which includes Brandon Drury, Santiago Espinal and Rubén Tejada.

Looking at the internal additions to the Blue Jays’ Player Pool, Baker is a candidate to impact the club’s bullpen at some point this season. The reliever who came over from the Rockies in the 2018 Seunghwan Oh deal has struggled with control, walking 6.0 batters per nine innings in 2019, but he can touch 100 mph and has caught the eye of many in the organization.

Kivlehan, 30, saw a fair share of action in Spring Training and posted an .870 OPS with 25 home runs for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons last season. Palacios, 24, hit .266 with a .787 OPS over 82 games for Double-A New Hampshire in 2019.

On Thursday the Blue Jays also placed four players on the 10-day injured list to open Summer Camp, including right-hander Elvis Luciano, right-hander Hector Perez, infielder Brandon Drury and center fielder Jonathan Davis. Those moves are effective retroactive to July 1.

The club announced on Monday that they were moving players and personnel to Dunedin, Fla., to begin the screening and isolation process, which is part of MLB protocol regardless of where they start the season. The club is still awaiting official word from the Canadian government on whether they will be permitted to train and play in Toronto this season, with their spring site in Dunedin as the fallback option.