Pitcher DFA'd as Blue Jays continue to make moves

Lawrence, who was claimed off waivers by the Jays on Monday, now enters DFA limbo for the fourth time this season. While his stint with Toronto was always expected to be short, many felt that it would last longer than one appearance.

However, after Kevin Gausman was forced throw 53 pitches and with Bowden Francis giving up seven runs in Tuesday's game, the Blue Jays needed to burn Lawrence, a potential starter on Thursday, sooner rather than later. He leves the team after giving up three runs in his only appearance.

Taking Lawrence's place will be Lauer, a 30-year old lefty with 120 games of service under his belt, including 112 starts. While he can be used out of the pen, he will likely be utilized in the fifth starter role until the return of Easton Lucas or Max Scherzer.

He has not appeared in the majors since 2023.

Lauer signed a minor deal with the team in December. He has had mixed success the bisons, having logged 24 innings over five starts. He has allowed 4.50 earned runs per nine with a 20.6% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate.

Like Lawrence, Lauer is out of options and cannot be sent without passing through waivers, and given the current status of the Blue Jays this could project to be another short-term solution for Toronto.

If Lauer does get DFA'd and successfully passes through the waivers, he could the opportunity to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, so it's a tricky spot for the Blue Jays to be in. Also, with Lauer now in the fold, Toronto currently has four lefties in the bullpen. While it's a luxury, it's not sustainable one, especially with Nick Sandlin and Erik Swanson returning in the near future.