Nick

Sandlin

The Jays dropped Sandlin after a season in which he was limited to 16 1/3 innings by lat and elbow injuries. The former Guardians reliever has an excellent 3.18 ERA in 211 2/3 innings since debuting in 2021, but still no one thought it was worth claiming him off waivers and paying him about $2 million in arbitration.

Sandlin passed through waivers unclaimed after being jettisoned from Toronto’s 40-man roster and has been effectively been non-tendered after making just 19 relief appearances this past season in his Blue Jays debut. The 28-year-old missed most of the season with shoulder and elbow issues. He made 209 appearances for the Guardians over a four-year span from 2021-2024 before his inclusion in the Andrés Giménez trade last offseason. There’s probably another organization willing to bring him to camp given his extensive experience in the big leagues.

Sandlin has been out since July 8 with elbow inflammation, so he’ll be eligible to come off the 60-day IL as soon as Saturday. However, if he is able to make it back, it sounds like it will happen closer to the end of the month.

The Jays remain hopeful that it’s a minor issue and that he’ll be able to start ramping back up after a week of rest. There’s still no clear timeline for when he may be able to rejoin the team’s bullpen.

It certainly doesn’t sound good, but there’s no official word from Toronto regarding the severity of the issue. The 28-year-old righty will presumably undergo further evaluation and testing to determine how much time he’s going to miss. The 28-year-old righty has compiled a strong 2.20 ERA and 16/8 K/BB ratio across 16 1/3 innings (19 appearances). It’s his second trip to the injured list this season during his Blue Jays debut.

Sandlin had been shelved since April 20 due to a lat strain. He made it through a minor league rehab assignment without issue though and is ready to rejoin the Jays’ bullpen. Justin Bruihl was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move on Friday.

Sandlin, out since Apr. 20 with a lat strain, was making his first Triple-A appearance after allowing two runs — one earned — over 2 1/3 innings in two outings in Rookie ball. He gave up back-to-back homers to Jhonkensy Noel and C.J. Kayfus last night, so it seems like he’ll need a few more appearances before being activated.

No word yet on how long Sandlin will be on the shelf. The 28-year-old righty has compiled a strong 2.25 ERA across 10 relief appearances this season in his Blue Jays debut after coming over from the Guardians in an offseason trade.

Sandlin, 27, was acquired from the Guardians in the December as part of the Andrés Giménez trade. He was a weapon out of the Guardians’ bullpen in 2024, compiling a 3.75 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 68/27 K/BB ratio 57 2/3 innings. He’s expected to function in a setup capacity for the Jays in 2025.

Sandlin augments Toronto’s bullpen heading into next season after spending the last four years as a reliable cog in Cleveland’s bullpen, posting a strong 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 223/92 K/BB ratio across 195 1/3 innings (209 appearances).