The Blue Jays reinstated Estrada (shoulder) from the injured list Saturday.
Estrada has been on the shelf since April due to a right shoulder impingement. He was cleared to begin pitching in rehab games June 2 and has since allowed four earned runs in 9.2 innings across four appearances at Triple-A Buffalo. Now fully healthy, he'll presumably work as a long-relief option for the big club. Brendon Little was optioned to Buffalo in a corresponding move.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Completes third rehab appearance
Rotowire
Estrada (shoulder) struck out three over three perfect innings of relief Sunday in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo.
After working as a starter in his first two rehab appearances between Single-A Dunedin and Buffalo, Estrada shifted to the bullpen for his third minor-league outing. While piggybacking starter Grant Rogers, Estrada was sharp Sunday, needing just 29 pitches to record nine outs. Estrada is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list at any point, but the Blue Jays may continue to keep him on assignment for another appearance or two if they intend to get him stretched out further.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Kicks off rehab assignment
Rotowire
Estrada (shoulder) yielded one run on three walks over 2.1 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.
Estrada didn't give up a hit in the outing and fanned three batters, but he yielded a run on three walks and a sacrifice fly. The right-hander was making his first appearance in two months, as he's been dealing with a right shoulder impingement. Estrada will likely need at least a couple more rehab outings, and he could remain at Buffalo rather than join the big club when he's done with his rehab assignment.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Blue Jays transferred Estrada (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.
Estrada has been on the shelf since early April due to a right shoulder impingement, and though an official timeline for his return hasn't been established, he won't be available for the Blue Jays until at least June 4 now that he's on the 60-day IL. He'll also give up his place on the 40-man roster to infielder Charles McAdoo, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Sharp in bulk relief duties
Rotowire
Estrada didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the White Sox, walking two and striking out three over four scoreless, no-hit innings of relief.
Entering the game to begin the second inning after opener Mason Fluharty spotted Chicago an early 1-0 lead, Estrada fired 44 of 66 pitches for strikes in an effective 2026 debut. The right-hander was briefly the pitcher of record when the Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth, but the White Sox immediately struck back in the bottom of the frame. Estrada's performance may earn him another turn through the rotation, either as a traditional starter or a bulk reliever, but with off days coming Thursday and next Monday, Toronto may elect to simply skip employing a fifth starter in the short term.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Promotion on tap
Rotowire
Estrada will be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
This upcoming promotion likely means that Cody Ponce (knee), who exited Monday's start due to injury, is headed for an IL stint. Estrada will be brought up to provide length for Toronto, at least until Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Jose Berrios (elbow) or Shane Bieber (elbow) can return from the injured list, and a number of off days on the Jays' schedule in early April could mean the 26-year-old righty is needed for only one or two starts. Estrada made two relief appearances for the Blue Jays a year ago, allowing seven runs while striking out 10 and walking one over 7.1 regular-season innings.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Dispatched to Buffalo
Rotowire
The Blue Jays optioned Estrada to Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.
Estrada will finish the Grapefruit League with a 4.76 ERA and 1.32 WHIP through 11.1 innings. Those numbers are improvements from the 5.73 ERA and 1.45 WHIP he posted in 97.1 Triple-A frames last year, but the Blue Jays will send him back to the minors to continue developing.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Has path to bullpen job
Rotowire
Estrada could begin the season on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Some dominoes are falling on the Toronto staff due to injuries. With Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all set to begin the year on the IL, Eric Lauer is expected to move into the rotation, leaving a vacancy in the bullpen for a long reliever or swingman. Estrada appears to be the leading candidate for the gig after building up to about 40 pitches in his most recent spring outing and posting a 4.50 ERA and 3:2 K:BB through 10 innings over five Grapefruit League appearances (one start). The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a shaky 2025, as he produced a 5.73 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 99:32 K:BB in 97.1 innings at Triple-A before getting tagged for seven runs in his first 7.1 big-league innings, albeit with an encouraging 10:1 K:BB.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Demoted to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Blue Jays optioned Estrada to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.
Estrada was sent back to the minors to clear room on the 26-man roster for Ryan Burr (shoulder), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. After getting his first big-league call-up Friday, Estrada impressed in Saturday's 11-inning win over the Angels, giving up one earned run on two hits and no walks while striking out four over four frames of long relief.
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Blue Jays' Lazaro Estrada: Selected to big-league roster
Rotowire
The Blue Jays selected Estrada's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.
Lefty Justin Bruihl was optioned to Triple-A, and the right-handed Estrada will replace him in the Toronto bullpen after putting up a 4.75 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 66:21 K:BB over 15 starts (60.2 innings) with Buffalo to begin the campaign. Estrada, 26, will be making his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game.
