Connor Seabold is coming to John Schneider's roster, and Chase Lee is the Blue Jays arm heading back to Buffalo to clear the spot.
Toronto made the move official Thursday morning by optioning Lee to Triple-A. It is the first active-roster step tied directly to the Seabold trade with Detroit.
That matters because Seabold could not just sit in limbo once the Blue Jays acquired him. MLB Trade Rumors noted he is out of options, so Toronto had to make room when he joined the club.
Lee became the obvious casualty. He had only been back in the majors since May 19, and this latest stint never really gave him a chance to settle in.
CBS Sports reported Lee worked just 2 innings in those 2 appearances and issued 4 walks while allowing 2 earned runs. That is the kind of line that makes a short stay even shorter.
For Toronto, the bigger issue is not Lee going down. It is what Seabold now represents for a pitching staff that keeps asking for another starter.
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Why Connor Seabold forced this move now
The Blue Jays already opened 40-man space for Seabold on May 27 by transferring José Berrios to the 60-day injured list after the trade. Thursday's Lee option handled the active side of the math.
That sequence says plenty about Toronto's plan. The front office did not bring Seabold back only as depth on paper. The club needed him in Baltimore, and it needed a clean roster lane to get him there.
Seabold is not a stranger in this organization, either. MLB's transaction log shows the Blue Jays signed him to a minor-league deal on January 21 before he later left and signed with Detroit on March 23.
That familiarity matters. Toronto already saw him in camp, already knows the pitch mix, and clearly decided a reunion made more sense than starting from scratch with another outside arm. That is an inference from the spring timeline and this week's trade.
Now the move carries even more weight because Seabold is lined up to take Friday's game in Baltimore. This is not a mop-up call. It is a real rotation assignment.
That is why Lee's option lands a little harder than a normal shuttle move. The Blue Jays did not just swap bullpen pieces. They cleared the runway for the pitcher they believe can help absorb tomorrow's innings.
And with Dylan Cease already on the injured list and the staff still being patched together, Toronto made its choice plain. Chase Lee goes back to Buffalo, and Connor Seabold gets the next shot to matter.
Did the Blue Jays make the right call sending Chase Lee down for Connor Seabold?
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