Blue Jays option LHP Adam Macko to Triple-A Buffalo in spring cuts

The Toronto Blue Jays optioned left‑hander Adam Macko to Triple‑A Buffalo on March 3, 2026, a move confirmed by Keegan Matheson of MLB.com and the Blue Jays’ official tweet listing the roster moves. The tweet read, "LHP Adam Macko has been optioned to Triple‑A RHPs Fernando Perez and Gage Stanifer have been reassigned to Minor League camp," and the transaction left Macko on option to the Buffalo Bisons while he remains on the club’s 40‑man roster.

Spring workload for the 25‑year‑old lefty was limited and reported differently across outlets. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com wrote that "Macko made two scoreless appearances early in camp but was considered a long shot for th" in a truncated line reproduced by RotoWire. Yardbarker summarized Macko’s spring as follows: "Macko was optioned as he’s on the 40‑man roster. That said, he pitched three innings in Spring Training, where he struck out two, walked two, and didn’t allow an earned run. The left‑handed pitcher also pitched an inning in the game against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, as he’ll pitch for Canada when the World Baseball Classic kicks off." Yardbarker and the MiLB transaction list also note that Canada activated LHP Adam Macko on February 5, 2026.

Macko’s MiLB ledger and recent injury history frame the move. MiLB records show he posted a combined 2025 line across two minor league levels of W 3, L 9, ERA 4.76 in 81.1 innings with 91 strikeouts, and a Buffalo‑only 2025 line of W 3, L 8, ERA 5.06 in 64.0 innings with 65 strikeouts. Bluebirdbanter and Sports Yahoo document that Macko "missed the start of the 2025 season after knee surgery, returning to Triple A in early June" and later shifted to the bullpen with improved results.

Scouting and analytics detail why Buffalo is a logical next stop. Jayscentre reports Macko "works with four pitches" and that "the slider is the secondary pitch he throws the most, which he tosses in the low‑80s." Jayscentre adds, "Macko’s fastball velocity is pretty mediocre, actually regressing a bit since last year where he used to sit 93‑95 mph (now in the 91‑93 mph range). He still can touch up to 95 mph, but that comes fewer and farther between than years past." The site noted the fastball produced a 15.3 iVB and about 7.9 inches of run in his short Triple‑A appearance, and that his changeup "has a nice shape as well, with 15.9 inches of fading action."

Organizational context and prospect valuation are mixed. Bluebirdbanter notes Macko "is in his last option year," and calls him a back‑end starter candidate: "Right now, Macko checks all the boxes to fit as a back end starter." The same piece observes that a major league debut this season "would make him the first Slovakian‑born big leaguer since 1961 and the first to grow up there in MLB history," a cultural milestone worth verifying but illustrative of Macko’s unique background born in Bratislava and raised in Ireland. Keith Law placed Macko 20th on his top 20 Blue Jays prospect list, per Bluebirdbanter.

The same Blue Jays announcement reassigned RHP Fernando Perez and RHP Gage Stanifer to minor league camp; Yardbarker recorded Stanifer’s spring work as "just one and two‑thirds innings over three outings," including a Feb. 21 scoreless inning and a Feb. 26 outing in which he "walked two batters and hit a batter to load the bases. He struck out the next two batters before being replaced, and seeing those runners cross the plate once he was out of the game."

With Macko on Buffalo’s roster, Toronto preserves a 40‑man option while giving the lefty a chance to start and rebuild workload after knee surgery and innings restrictions in 2025. His activation for Canada in early February and the WBC visibility could accelerate a return to Toronto if Buffalo outings show improved command and the velocity jump he achieved as a reliever. The Blue Jays’ depth plan now leans on Macko to convert starter upside in Buffalo into reliable innings, while the team manages option status and bullpen/rotation insurance through the rest of spring training and the WBC window.