Tanner Andrews stayed in John Schneider's Blue Jays picture Sunday after clearing waivers and heading back to Triple-A Buffalo.
Toronto assigned Andrews to Buffalo after no club claimed him, keeping the right-hander in the organization only a few days after he was designated for assignment.
That matters because June 4 looked like a hard turn. The Blue Jays designated Andrews for assignment as their pitching board kept shifting in a hurry.
The move felt colder on paper than on performance. Andrews gave Toronto 3.0 scoreless innings in 2 major-league appearances after making his MLB debut on May 25.
He had earned that first call in Buffalo, too. Andrews carried a 1.29 ERA with 5 saves in 17 Triple-A outings before the roster squeeze hit.
The strikeout line gave him an even better case to stick around. He punched out 23 in 21.0 innings, which is the kind of upper-minors relief work clubs usually want close by.
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This looked more like roster math than failure
Toronto's depth chart changed fast around him. Simeon Woods Richardson was traded to the Blue Jays on June 3 and activated on June 5.
Chad Dallas also was selected on June 4, then Andrews lost his 40-man spot later that same day. That is the kind of timing that can wipe out a fringe reliever even when he has done little wrong.
So Andrews clearing waivers says as much about timing as talent. He is off the 40-man roster now, but he is still one phone call from Rogers Centre if Toronto needs another fresh arm.
That is a better outcome for the Blue Jays than losing him outright. Andrews is 30, throws right-handed, and already showed he could handle a short relief look in the majors.
Buffalo gets back one of its steadier bullpen pieces, and that matters for a Triple-A club that keeps feeding help to Toronto whenever the big-league staff springs a leak.
For Andrews, this is not the end of anything. It is a reset with real value, because another sharp run in Buffalo could put him right back into Schneider's bullpen conversation before long.
Did Tanner Andrews deserve to stay on Toronto's 40-man roster?
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