Lazaro Estrada was designated for assignment over the weekend.
After being designated for assignment over the weekend, right-handed pitcher Lazaro Estrada is set to stay in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
According to Francys Romero, Estrada cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo. That means that Estrada is off the 40-man roster and will need to be put back on at the expense of someone else if he's going to find his way back to the major leagues.
A 27-year-old native of Cuba, Estrada has made eight appearances in the big leagues this season, pitching to a 1-1 record and a 5.54 ERA. He's spent a good portion of the season injured, but has also made 11 appearances in the minors this season, pitching to a 3.33 ERA in 27.0 innings.
Estrada has been with the Blue Jays organization since his first professional season in 2021.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Lazaro Estrada (60) throws a pitch during the twelfth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesBlue Jays notebook for Aug. 17
--The Blue Jays are off on Monday before starting a six-game road trip through Tampa Bay and New York. At 61-65, the Jays are in last place in the American League East, but they are also only 1.0 game back of the third and final wild card spot.
If the Blue Jays can navigate these next six games successfully, the schedule opens up in an extremely favorable manner over the final five weeks of the season.
--Dylan Cease made some history on Sunday with his 10-strikeout performance against the Yankees. Cease now has 201 strikeouts, marking the sixth straight season that he's hit that mark. It's tied for the fourth-longest consecutive streak of 200 strikeouts or more in baseball history.
Cease, who started the All-Star Game for the American League, also figures to be in the mix for the Cy Young. He's probably the leader in the clubhouse right now, especially with Tarik Skubal now in the National League.
--The Blue Jays were ranked as having the No. 22 farm system in baseball by MLB Pipeline, which released its newest rankings on Sunday night. Toronto's ranking fell because of the graduation of Trey Yesavage and the trade of Arjun Nimmala.
--Monday marks the one-year anniversary of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s last home run at Rogers Centre. He homered at home in the playoffs, but it's still been a stunning development for Guerrero, who has only seven home runs on the entire season.
He's currently on the 7-day concussion injured list and will hope to be back when first eligible.
