KANSAS CITY -- As David Phelps passed through the throng of media after Monday night’s win over the Royals, exiting the visitors’ clubhouse on his way to greet friends and family members, the reliever stopped in front of the sponsored backdrop, ready for questions.

There were none for the 32-year-old right-hander at the time, whose joke drew laughter from the crowd around him, because he hadn’t appeared in the Blue Jays’ latest victory. But perhaps his stunt was prophetic, with news of Phelps being traded to the Cubs just hours later.

The club announced the deal Tuesday, with Toronto receiving Chicago right-handed pitching prospect Thomas Hatch and sending cash considerations to the Cubs with Phelps.

"He was good, he was a good pitcher," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. "He was going to be the eighth-inning guy or seventh-inning guy. [It's] good for him, he's going to a contender."

Since making a triumphant return from multiple surgeries, including Tommy John, after 21 months away from a Major League mound, Phelps has appeared in 17 games for the Blue Jays this season. The seven-year big-league veteran owns a 3.63 ERA over 17 1/3 innings with a 1.21 WHIP, seven walks and 18 strikeouts.

"David Phelps was a great leader," 27-year-old Toronto reliever Tim Mayza said. "He definitely brought a veteran presence to the bullpen. It was something that we needed -- that [Daniel Hudson] brings as well and other guys who have been around -- but he's been with four organizations, he's had different roles, so he has a good idea of what the game is like and how to pitch certain guys and what to look for. He brought a leadership role and a lot of knowledge about the game."

During his time away from the game, Phelps realized just how passionate he is about it.

“The biggest thing for me in Seattle last year was sitting there watching the games made me realize how much I do love the game; how much I missed it,” Phelps said ahead of his first appearance this season. “And that it’s something I’m incredibly passionate about and I’m really excited to be back.

“There were some pretty dark times there, but it’s always fun when you start to see that light at the end of the tunnel, not to be too cliché about it. I thank this organization incredibly for taking a chance on me in the offseason, still in the middle of my rehab. But I’m excited to get back out there and get back to doing what I love.”

During his time sharing a bullpen with Phelps, right-hander Justin Shafer was struck by his teammate's willingness to help, and his sentiment for the game in his return.

"He's just an unbelievable person, more than anything," Shafer said. "The way he went about his business [was most impressive], coming back from two years he hadn't been throwing. I was there in Buffalo when he had his first outing back and just seeing how big of a deal that was for someone who had been in the big leagues for that long puts in perspective how much this game meant to him, to be able to get back and obviously he's having success again so that's pretty cool to see."

Phelps also has appeared with the Yankees, Marlins and Mariners during his career, and he owns a lifetime 3.88 ERA over 245 games including 65 starts.

“Times in my career where I’ve been healthy, I’ve had good results,” Phelps said. “Times where I haven’t been healthy, I haven’t. Especially coming back from [Tommy John], once I got here I wanted to stay here. Everything at the bare bones level was about getting healthy.”

Hatch was ranked as the Cubs' No. 29 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Over 21 starts for Double-A Tennessee this year, the 24-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.59 ERA. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound hurler has been used exclusively as a starter throughout his three Minor League seasons.