Blue Jays call up Chris Smith

Sportsnet is reporting that the Blue Jays are going to call up right-handed reliever Chris Smith today.

Smith, 28, is on our 40-man roster, added back in September of last season, when he was called up about a week before the end of the season. He didn’t get into a Jays game last year.

He throws a 95 mph fastball and has a slider.

He’s a pretty interesting story. He played in Independent baseball from 2010 to 2012. Apparently, he signed a zero dollar contract to play for an Independent league team. He also pitched in Brisbane, Australia. The Yankees signed him in 2013. He ended up with a forearm stress fracture that kept him from playing for the 2013 season.

In Buffalo, this year, he pitched in 14 games, 18.1 innings. He’s allowed 18 hits, 3 home runs, 2 walks and 15 strikeouts. That’s a pretty nice strikeout to walk rate.

Last year, pitching mostly in New Hampshire, he had a 1.93 ERA in 47 minor league games with 22 walks and 81 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.

There is no word on the corresponding move. I’d imagine Ian Parmley will be heading back to Buffalo and we’ll be back to the 8-man bullpen that we love so much. It looks like the Jays want an extra arm in the pen in case Roberto Osuna can’t pitch.

In other news, Aaron Sanchez gets his first rehab start in Dunedin tonight. I’d imagine he’ll get 3 or 4 rehab starts before coming back to the Jays.