Cole signed a one-year, $800,000 contract Tuesday with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Yahoo Sports Japan reports.
The uncertainty of the 2022 MLB season due to the ongoing lockout along with the fact that Cole likely wouldn't fetch anything more than a minor-league deal in free agency presumably weighed heavily into his decision to head to Japan, where he'll receive a more lucrative guaranteed deal. The 29-year-old was outrighted off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster in September after providing a 2.59 ERA and 27:10 K:BB across 31.1 innings out of the Toronto bullpen the past two seasons.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Reinstated and outrighted
Rotowire
Cole (oblique) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday and outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo.
Cole had been out since late May with a strained oblique. He's been with Triple-A Buffalo on a rehab assignment for over two weeks and will now remain there as a regular member of the team, though his 3.14 major-league ERA over the last three years suggests the Blue Jays could add him back to the 40-man roster if they need another arm down the stretch.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Cole (oblique) has been sent to Triple-A Buffalo to begin a rehab assignment, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.
Cole has been on the injured list since late May due to an oblique strain, but he resumed throwing bullpen sessions in mid-July. The right-hander made two rehab appearances in the lower levels of the minors last week and allowed a run on a hit and a walk while striking out one in two innings. As long as he doesn't experience any setbacks, Cole appears to be on track to return sometime this weekend or early next week.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Throwing bullpens
Rotowire
Cole (oblique) has begun throwing bullpen sessions, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Cole hasn't pitched since late May due to an oblique strain. He'll be eligible to return from the 60-day injured list in late July and appears to be trending in the right direction, but given the length of his absence, it's likely he'll need a bit more time.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Transferred to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Cole (oblique strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.
He had originally been placed on the IL with neck soreness, but now it's being called a left oblique strain. This clears a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Tayler Saucedo, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Heads to injured list
Rotowire
Cole (neck) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
Neck soreness has sidelined Cole since his May 27 appearance, and the issue must be serious enough to justify a longer absence. Cole has impressed with a 1.13 ERA and a 7:1 K:BB ratio out of the bullpen this year, albeit in a small, eight-inning sample size. Jeremy Beasley was recalled Wednesday to fill Cole's roster spot.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Battling neck soreness
Rotowire
Cole is dealing with a sore neck and is day-to-day, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
According to manager Charlie Montoyo, the righty isn't feeling any better than he has in recent days. The neck issue has made Cole unavailable out of the bullpen for the past few games and, though the move has not been made yet, he may require a trip to the injured list.
Cole allowed one walk but fired a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against Atlanta.
Cole was tasked with maintaining a three-run lead, and he managed to shut the door after issuing a one-out walk. He's spent most of the season at the alternate site, with Wednesday marking only his second appearance with Toronto. Jordan Romano figures to draw the majority of save chances with Julian Merryweather (oblique) and Rafael Dolis (calf) sidelined. However, Romano appeared in Tuesday's game, and he has not pitched in back-to-back games since returning from the injured list April 24.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Contract selected by Blue Jays
Rotowire
Cole's contract was selected by the Blue Jays on Saturday.
Cole posted a 3.09 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 23.1 relief innings for Toronto last year and returned to the team as a non-roster invitee this spring. He'll now be available to make his season debut out of the bullpen after right-hander Ty Tice was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo and Alejandro Kirk (hip) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Signs minor-league deal
Rotowire
Cole signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Cole was non-tendered by Toronto at the beginning of December, but he'll return to the team on a contract that will pay him $1 million if he makes the major-league roster. The right-hander received an invite to spring training and should compete for a spot in the bullpen after posting a 3.09 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 23.1 relief innings in 2020.
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A.J. Cole: Cut loose by Toronto
Rotowire
Cole was non-tendered by the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Cole posted a respectable 3.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 23.1 innings (24 appearances) last season, but Toronto did not want to pay him in arbitration. He should be able to catch on with a big-league deal somewhere, likely working as a middle reliever.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Logs third win
Rotowire
Cole (3-0) tossed a scoreless fifth inning to become the pitcher of record in Toronto's 14-1 victory over the Yankees on Wednesday. He walked one and struck out one.
Starter Robbie Ray was solid, but got pulled after four innings of work. Making his 23rd appearance of the season, Cole dropped his ERA to 3.22. He resides in the top 10 percent of qualified pitchers in expected ERA and hard-hit rate allowed.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Picks up second win Friday
Rotowire
Cole (2-0) recorded the win during the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, walking one batter in a scoreless sixth inning.
After Tanner Roark failed to last five innings and Julian Merryweather got tagged for three runs in only two-thirds of an inning, Cole was deemed the most worthy of the win among the Jays relievers. The right-hander has put together the best numbers of his career with a 1.02 ERA and 1.02 WHIP through 17.2 innings, but his 13:6 K:BB suggests he's been more lucky than dominant.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Earns first save
Rotowire
Cole allowed one hit but recorded the final out in the second game of the Blue Jays' doubleheader against the Phillies on Thursday to earn the save.
Cole entered the game with runners on second and third and a two-run lead. He allowed an infield single to J.T. Realmuto -- the first batter he faced -- but rebounded to strike out Roman Quinn for the final out. It was his first save of the season, though Cole has been dependable early on, maintaining a 0.82 ERA with nine strikeouts across 11 frames.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Blows save
Rotowire
Cole allowed one unearned run on two hits over 1.2 innings in Sunday's loss to the Rays. He was charged with a blown save.
Cole allowed just a pair of singles in the seventh inning, but a fielding error allowed Austin Meadows to tie the contest. It was the first run Cole has allowed this season, but fortunately his ERA stays at a perfect 0.00 in 9.2 innings.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Listed on 60-man roster
Rotowire
Cole will be a part of the Blue Jays' 60-man roster.
Cole signed with the Blue Jays in November as a non-roster invitee, and he'll get a chance to compete for a spot in the majors while he's with the 60-man roster. Manager Charlie Montoyo expressed optimism in February that Cole could join Toronto's rotation or factor into late-inning situations, and the right-hander tossed six scoreless innings with five strikeouts during spring training.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: Rotation or late-inning role
Rotowire
Manager Charlie Montoyo said Wednesday that Cole (shoulder) is a candidate for both the Blue Jays' rotation as well as the club's late-inning mix, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
Given that Toronto bolstered its starting staff this offseason with three established arms in Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chase Anderson and Tanner Roark, a bullpen assignment seems most realistic for Cole, whose status as a non-roster invitee hurts his chances of breaking camp with the big club in any capacity. After being developed as a starter for most of his first nine pro seasons, Cole worked exclusively out of the bullpen in 2019, churning out a 3.81 ERA and 30:8 K:BB across 26 innings with Cleveland. He reported to camp fully healthy after ending last season on the Indians' injured list with a right shoulder impingement.
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Blue Jays' A.J. Cole: SIgns with Blue Jays
Rotowire
Cole (shoulder) agreed to a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays on Monday which includes an invite to spring training, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Whether Cole will be healthy this spring remains to be seen, as he was shut down with a shoulder impingement in mid-August. He's a decent gamble for the Blue Jays, as he posted a 3.81 ERA in 26 innings of relief for Cleveland last season.
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A.J. Cole: Chooses free agency
Rotowire
Cole (shoulder) refused an outright assignment to the minors Monday and became a free agent.
Cole looked good in 26 innings of relief for Cleveland this season, posting a 3.81 ERA and a 30:8 K:BB. He was shut down for the year with a shoulder impingement in mid-August, however, making his status heading into spring training unclear.
