Injuries & Roster Moves: Cabrera a free agent

Injuries & Roster Moves: Cabrera a free agent

November 5th, 2024

This page will be updated throughout the offseason to track all of the Blue Jays' moves, along with the progress of any injured players.

LATEST NEWS

Nov. 4: LHP , RHP clear waivers and elect free agency; INF claimed off waivers by the Mets; RHP claimed off waivers from the Marlins
The flurry of moves announced by the Blue Jays late Monday to set their 40-man roster were headlined by Cabrera, who is now a free agent. Cabrera still had arbitration control left, meaning the Blue Jays could have kept Cabrera and tendered him a contract, but he's now free to sign with any team. Cabrera posted a 3.59 ERA for the Blue Jays in 2024, though many of his underlying metrics weren't as strong.

Joining the Blue Jays' depth picture is Peterson, the big right-hander who had some success with the Dodgers earlier in 2024 and was eventually promoted to their big league bullpen before being claimed by the Marlins. Toronto's bullpen depth will continue to churn all offseason as multiple additions are needed.

Nov. 4: RHP , RHP , OF , INF reinstated from 60-day IL
These are strictly administrative moves, not the result of any changes in their respective recoveries. These moves get the Blue Jays' 40-man roster to an even 490 to begin the offseason. From here, any MLB-level addition will require an accompanying move to clear space on the 40-man roster.

Oct. 31: LHP elects free agency
Yarbrough was the Blue Jays’ lone pending free agent after the club dealt several others at the July 30 Trade Deadline. Yarbrough, who came over from the Dodgers for Kevin Kiermaier, impressed down the stretch and will be one of many options Toronto considers for its bullpen rebuild. Yarbrough threw 98 2/3 innings over 44 appearances in 2024 and has plenty of experience as a swingman.

• All Blue Jays transactions

INJURY UPDATES

SS (right middle finger fracture)
Expected return: Spring Training 2025
Bichette took a ground ball off the tip of his middle finger pregame on Sept. 18, and X-rays revealed a fracture, ending his season. He underwent surgery on Sept. 25 to insert a pin in that finger, which will help the bone set properly, and the Blue Jays expect him to be fully healthy for the beginning of Spring Training. (Last updated: Sept. 25)

OF (right rotator cuff surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Varsho underwent surgery on Sept. 23 and will rejoin the Blue Jays for the final week of the season. This rehab process will start slowly and stretch across the entire offseason at a minimum. All parties involved hope that Varsho is ready to roll for Day 1 of Spring Training next February, but the Blue Jays should have a better feel for that later in the offseason as Varsho begins to ramp up activities again. (Last updated: Sept. 24)

RHP (right elbow impingement, arthroscopic surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Romano will continue his rehab process as if he were planning a return, but manager John Schneider said on Sept. 6 that the two-time All-Star will not return this season. Schneider added that Romano will continue to keep his arm going, but doubted he'd throw any innings in the offseason. Romano posted a 6.59 ERA over just 13 2/3 innings due to multiple stints on the IL, though when healthy, he has proven to be one of the American League's top closers. From 2020-23, he posted a 2.29 ERA over 200 2/3 innings with 97 saves. (Last updated: Sept. 6)

INF (left knee surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Wagner, who dealt with this nagging issue for much of the season, underwent a left knee scope to clean it up on Sept. 19 in Cleveland. The Blue Jays don't expect this to have any impact on his 2025 season, though, and manager John Schneider is optimistic that a healthy knee could help Wagner tap into some more power and play more easily in the field next season. (Last updated: Sept. 20)

RHP (right UCL surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Manoah underwent successful right UCL reconstructive surgery with an internal brace on June 17. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Aug. 19 strictly for 40-man roster purposes. Manoah left his start on May 29 after feeling a "pinchy" sensation in his right elbow. He was "guarding" his elbow earlier in that start, but the discomfort arose when he began to fully extend his elbow through pitches. (Last updated: Aug. 19)

LHP (Tommy John surgery, No. 4 on Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects list)
Expected return: Potentially late 2025
Tiedemann underwent successful Tommy John surgery on July 30. He will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season. The 21-year-old left-hander had worked his way back from ulnar nerve inflammation in his left elbow, but in his first start back with Triple-A Buffalo, Tiedemann left with what was described at the time as left forearm tightness. After getting opinions from Dr. Keith Meister and Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Tiedemann opted for surgery. (Last updated: Aug. 2)

LHP (Tommy John surgery, No. 16 on Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects list)
Expected return: 2025
Barriera's agent announced in late April that the 20-year-old lefty had undergone Tommy John surgery with an internal brace to repair a Grade 2 UCL tear and was placed on the Minor League season-ending injured list. The Blue Jays' No. 16 prospect will miss the rest of the 2024 season and likely part of the 2025 season, though that timeline should be clearer early next year.

This is another difficult setback for the Blue Jays' first-round pick from 2022. Barriera was shut down after the Draft that year, dealt with injuries in 2023 and is now done for '24, leaving him with just 21 2/3 pro innings under his belt. Barriera had impressed in camp and was touching 97 mph regularly, but for now, he'll focus on the rehab process and attempt to come back strong in his age-21 season. (Last updated: May 17)

• More injury news