Top prospect Norris eyes potential callup

TORONTO -- Daniel Norris continued to rip through Triple-A competition on Thursday against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, further making his case for a Major League promotion in the near future. He worked five innings for Buffalo and allowed one run on one hit with nine strikeouts, fueling speculation that a callup is imminent.

Amid conflicting reports that the young left-hander had moved to the Bisons' bullpen, Norris is still slated to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was mum on a potential callup for the 21-year-old Norris, who has experienced a meteoric rise through the club's Minor League ranks this season.

"You could see him. No guarantees, but you might," Gibbons said.

"They might throw him in the bullpen a bit. They're watching his innings a bit."

Norris' climb from Class A Advanced Dunedin to Buffalo has been surprisingly quick. The Blue Jays' No. 1 prospect made 13 starts with Dunedin, going 6-0 with a 1.22 ERA before his promotion to Double-A New Hampshire in mid June.

After eight starts with the Fisher Cats (3-1, 4.54 ERA), he was brought up to the Bisons. In three starts, Norris is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings.

If the Blue Jays do decide to send Norris to the Bisons' bullpen, he could follow a similar path taken by Aaron Sanchez, who made a pair of relief appearances prior to his big league callup in early August.