The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Tommy Nance. In a corresponding move, fellow righty Ryan Burr was placed directly onto the 60-day injured list with a right rotator cuff strain, which opened both an active roster and a 40-man roster spot for Nance.
Nance, 34, had a decent run late last year with the Jays. The club had planned to compete in 2024 but fell out of the race and ended up as a deadline seller. Nance was added to the roster in August, as the club was playing out the string on a lost season. He posted a 4.09 earned run average in 22 innings. His 20.4% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate were both a bit shy of average but he had a strong 52.4% ground ball rate.
The Jays kept him on their 40-man through the winter but he didnโt break camp with the club. Since he is out of options, he was designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo. Since then, he has tossed 31 1/3 innings for the Bisons with a 4.60 ERA, though it seems like thereโs a lot of bad luck in that figure. His 31.3% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 58% ground ball rate are all well above average. Heโs seemingly been held back by a .363 batting average on balls in play and 55% strand rate, which are both to the unfortunate side. His 2.63 FIP suggests his ERA might be too high by almost two full runs.
The Jays will slot Nance into the bullpen to see if his numbers can regress towards the mean at the big league level. As mentioned, he is out of options and canโt be easily sent back down to Buffalo. If he holds onto a roster spot through the end of the year, he can be retained beyond this season. The Jays are leading the American League East and will presumably pursue relievers ahead of the deadline.
As for Burr, itโs an ominous development. He started the year on the IL due to shoulder inflammation. He worked his way back to health and was only reinstated off the IL five days ago. He appeared in two big league games but departed the second outing, which was on Wednesday, with an apparent injury. With the Jays immediately placing him on the 60-day IL today, it suggests they donโt expect him back until September even in a best-case scenario.
Like Nance, he got some run with the Jays last year. He tossed 32 2/3 innings with a 4.13 ERA, 33.6% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate. Perhaps a .329 BABIP hurt him, as his 3.07 FIP and 2.65 SIERA suggested he deserved better. Unfortunately, he hasnโt had a chance to build off that performance in 2025. He has already spent most the 2025 season on the IL and that will continue for a few more months at least.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images