Nate Garkow is out, and John Schneider's organization just made another quiet Triple-A pitching cut. The Blue Jays' transaction log shows Buffalo released Garkow on June 16 after transferring him to the Development List on June 12.
That timing matters because Garkow had only just reached Buffalo. His MLB player page shows Toronto promoted him from Double-A New Hampshire to the Bisons on May 26, which made this a short Triple-A stay before the release came.
The performance was solid enough to notice. Garkow's MiLB page lists him with a 3.60 ERA in 18 appearances this season, along with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings and a 1.45 WHIP.
That is what makes the move feel more like roster churn than a simple numbers decision. Buffalo's June log has been busy with activations, rehab assignments, and new arms moving in and out, including Ryan McCarty's release and Ricky Tiedemann's rehab assignment on the same day Garkow was cut.
Toronto originally signed Garkow on July 1, 2024, after his time in independent ball. His player page shows the Blue Jays assigned him to Dunedin the next day, and he steadily climbed through the system after that.
He gave the organization real minor-league value along the way. His career MiLB line sits at a 2.95 ERA over 72 games, with 142 strikeouts in 97.2 innings and a 1.13 WHIP.
Toronto's upper-level bullpen picture got tighter
This kind of move usually says more about space than spotlight. Garkow was 28, pitching in relief, and trying to hold a Triple-A role on a club that keeps cycling arms up and down as the big-league staff shifts around. This is an inference based on his age, level, role, and the transaction volume in Buffalo.
The spring outlook suggested there was at least some intrigue in the profile. Jays Journal wrote in February that Garkow brought big swing-and-miss stuff to camp after climbing to Double-A in 2025, and BlueJaysNation later reported his move to Triple-A Buffalo in May.
But Triple-A can turn cold fast for relievers without 40-man protection. Once the roster starts crowding up, useful upper-level depth can disappear in a hurry. This is an inference based on his release after a Development List placement and Buffalo's roster movement.
For Toronto, the move is another reminder of how aggressively organizations keep trimming the edges of the system in June. For Garkow, it opens the next question: whether another club sees enough in the strikeout track record to give him another bullpen shot.
Will Nate Garkow sign with another organization this season?
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