Blue Jays Pick Up Tuiasosopo, Release Luis Perez

 

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I know this post is a bit late but I was completely exhausted after coming home (thanks to a six-hour delay in Tampa) from Florida yesterday and and only saw the Twitter just before I went to sleep.

 

 

The Blue Jays picked up utility, right-handed hitter Matt Tuiasosopo from the Diamondbacks on waivers yesterday and released left-handed pitcher Luis Perez to make room for him on the 40-man roster.

 

Tuiasosopo, who has been getting some big league time since 2008, is now with his fifth major league team and creates a bit of a logjam in terms of players looking at a spot on the Blue Jays’ bench. Like Moises Sierra, Tuiasosopo is out of options but is more flexible defensively, being able to play both corner infield positions as well as all three outfield positions and could play second base in a pinch as well.

 

Tuiasosopo had a solid season in almost 200 at bats with the Tigers last year, putting up a .351 OBP as well as a .415 SLG with seven home runs. As it has been pointed out, he had a reverse split last year, hitting much better in the more limited times that he played against righties. He is likely going to compete directly with Sierra for a spot on the Blue Jays unless the club is going to try to trade one of the two.

 

Luis Perez, who was released, was looking at starting 2014 on the disabled list and is out of options as well. The 29-year-old lefty has been having issues coming back from the Tommy John surgery that he underwent in 2012 and has only thrown a handful of innings since then. While Perez was effective in relief with the Blue Jays, the bullpen is extremely crowded with out-of-options guys and the Jays have several lefties ahead of Perez including Juan Perez.

 

Don’t forget about The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook, available March 31 as an ebook at Smashwords.com, Amazon, Apple iBooks, Kobo and other fine retailers for $7.99. Pre-order information coming soon! You can also preview the book at our Smashwords.com page!

 

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