Blue Jays send Bowden Francis to Triple-A, recall Thomas Hatch

The Toronto Blue Jays are adding a fresh arm to their bullpen.

The team announced on Sunday morning that Thomas Hatch is coming up from Triple-A while Bowden Francis is heading back down after just one appearance.

Francis came up to be a part of the Blue Jays’ bullpen day in what was Alek Manoah’s regular spot. Trevor Richards tossed three scoreless frames, Tim Mayza got four outs, and then Francis came in for two-and-two-thirds innings. All went well for the first seven innings and then Adam Cimber and Mitch White allowed eight earned runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

Francis will need to remain in Triple-A for 15 days before he can be called up again, so the Blue Jays will need another plan for Manoah’s next turn in the rotation. That said, if the Blue Jays place somebody from their active 26-man roster on the Injured List, Francis would be eligible for a call-up.

Hatch was acquired by the Blue Jays from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for reliever David Phelps back in 2019. He posted a 2.73 ERA over 17 appearances with the Blue Jays during the 2020 season but has a 7.60 ERA over six appearances with the team since. The righty has a 4.31 ERA over 19 outings with the Bisons so far this season.

The Blue Jays have a very taxed group of relief pitchers after Yusei Kikuchi’s five-inning start and their bullpen day on Saturday. The hope for the series finale on Sunday is that Kevin Gausman can provide the team with some much-needed length so they don’t have to lean on tired arms.

The Blue Jays will have a day off on Monday before they head to Baltimore for a three-game set with the Orioles with Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, and Kikuchi scheduled to be their three starting pitchers.