"The Toronto Blue Jays are continuing to add to try and raise the competitive floor of their roster before Opening Day. The latest move, a waiver claim, brings in a 26-year-old infielder who is still looking to make his major league debut and probably reminds Blue Jays fans of a current fan favourite. On Wednesday (Feb. 18) the club announced they had claimed Ben Cowles off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. The NL Central division team had to designate Cowles for assignment a few days ago after they added Shelby Miller to the roster. In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays placed pitcher Bowden Francis on the 60-day injured list."
"As it currently stands, the Blue Jays lack some depth in the middle infield spots and Cowles could find his way on the big league roster to be a back up for a couple of middle infielders, including the guy he's being compared to, Ernie Clement. If everything goes according to plan, Andrés Giménez will occupy shortstop while Clement will be the every day second baseman. A few years ago, it was Clement who forced his way on to the big league club based on his ability to play multiple positions and he has been worth 4.3 oWAR (according to Baseball Reference) in his three seasons (325 games) with the Blue Jays."
The Toronto Blue Jays claimed 26-year-old infielder Ben Cowles off waivers from the Chicago Cubs and placed pitcher Bowden Francis on the 60-day injured list. Cowles was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB draft and hit .235/.300/.371 with nine home runs across 128 Triple-A games last season, with 152 strikeouts. The move creates a middle-infield depth battle in spring camp, positioning Cowles as a potential backup behind Andrés Giménez at shortstop and Ernie Clement at second base. Clement has shown positional versatility, postseason hitting prowess, and 4.3 oWAR over three seasons with Toronto, and the club must replace production after losing Bo Bichette in free agency.
Read at Jays Journal
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