Blue Jays Claim Luplow Off Waivers
The Blue Jays added a lefty masher, claiming Jordan Luplow off waivers from the Braves Wednesday.
Luplow, 29, played 83 games with the Diamondbacks in 2022 (.634 OPS, 0.1 bWAR) before signing a one-year, $1.4-million deal with Atlanta this offseason. The Braves designated him for assignment after a crummy spring training where he batted just 3-for-15.
Now, the California native will report to Triple-A Buffalo, where he'll wait in the wings for an eventual call to the big leagues. Luplow's biggest strength is his power versus left-handed pitchers (.841 OPS, .505 SLG). As it stands, Toronto's outfield is quite left-handed, so there's an avenue to playing time for the right-handed-hitting Luplow.
Luplow primarily played outfield for the D-Backs a season ago, where he profiled as slightly above average defensively (+1 OAA). He's also capable of playing first base.
The Blue Jays freed up a 40-man roster spot for Luplow by transferring Hyun Jin Ryu to the 60-day injured list.
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas