Simeon Woods Richardson lost John Schneider's roster trust Friday, even after 10 scoreless innings with the Blue Jays.
Toronto recalled left-hander Adam Macko and designated Woods Richardson for assignment, a move that says more about process than the shiny ERA line.
On the surface, the decision looks strange. Woods Richardson did not allow a run in his 10.0 innings with Toronto after arriving from Minnesota earlier this month.
But the Blue Jays were clearly seeing the traffic, not just the zeros. Over that span, Woods Richardson walked 7 and struck out only 5, which is not the kind of relief profile that usually holds up for long.
That imbalance is the whole story here. A pitcher can dodge damage for a week or 2, but free passes pile stress onto every inning and force a bullpen to live on borrowed outs.
Toronto also had a fresh example of the act getting shaky. In Thursday's loss to Texas, Woods Richardson covered 3.0 scoreless innings, but the club still chose roster flexibility over a gamble that the command would clean up.
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Why the Blue Jays cut through the scoreless line
This is where the move gets honest. Woods Richardson's Blue Jays sample looked neat, but his full 2026 line between Minnesota and Toronto was much messier: a 6.40 ERA in 57.2 innings with 32 walks and 31 strikeouts.
That larger body of work matters more than a scoreless burst. Toronto acquired him from the Twins for cash after Minnesota had already designated him for assignment, so this was always a low-risk look, not a long-term commitment.
Macko's recall also helps explain the timing. The Blue Jays wanted another left-handed option, and Macko already showed he can give them usable innings in different roles.
For Woods Richardson, this is the hard truth of bullpen life. Scoreless innings get attention, but walks, weak strikeout numbers and shaky command usually decide whether a pitcher sticks.
The Blue Jays are still in too tight a race to wait around for correction. A team hovering near the Wild Card line cannot let every outing turn into an escape act.
That is why this DFA feels harsher than the stat line suggests. Toronto did not cut a dominant reliever. It cut a pitcher whose scoreless stretch never looked fully stable under the hood.
Woods Richardson may still catch on somewhere else because 25-year-old arms with options history keep getting chances. But the Blue Jays just made their read clear: the zeros were nice, the warning signs were louder.
Did the Blue Jays make the right call on Simeon Woods Richardson?
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