Toronto Blue Jays send Brampton’s Zach Pop down to the minors

Shake-ups to the Toronto Blue Jays roster have sent Brampton pitcher Zach Pop down to the minor leagues.

The Blue Jays said on Friday that the 27-year-old pitcher from Brampton has been optioned to the Jay’s Triple-A affiliate team, the Buffalo Bisons.

The announcement comes following Major League Baseball’s return from the all-star break as the team begins a three-game series with the visiting Detroit Tigers.

Pop has a 0-3 record and 5.90 ERA over 34 appearances with Toronto this season. He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2021 and was acquired by the Jays in 2022 through a trade with the Miami Marlins.

Optioning Pop wasn’t the only move the Jays made Friday.

Right-handed reliever Erik Swanson was called up after being optioned to Buffalo in May, and the team also reinstated right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia from the 15-day injured list.

Garcia had been out with a right elbow injury since leaving a save opportunity against Cleveland with two outs in the ninth inning on June 16. The Jays said Garcia would be available for Toronto’s series opener against visiting Detroit on Friday.

Detroit enters the contest with eight wins in its last 10 games. The Tigers are seven games back in the race for the final American League wild-card spot, with the Jays another two and a half games adrift.

– With files from The Canadian Press