Blue Jays Option Outfielder Jonatan Clase to Triple-A Buffalo

The Toronto Blue Jays optioned outfielder Jonatan Clase to Triple-A Buffalo on March 16 as part of a seven-transaction roster shuffle with Opening Day eleven days away.

Clase was the lone player among the seven moved who held a spot on the 40-man roster, a distinction that underscores where Toronto's front office sees him heading into the 2026 season. He is one of nine outfielders on the 40-man, a group already thinned by Anthony Santander, who is expected to miss most of the season with an injury.

The 23-year-old Dominican Republic native made 112 plate appearances for the Blue Jays in 2025, slashing .210/.288/.300 with 21 hits, two home runs and nine RBI. He did put together a respectable spring, going 6-for-23 with four RBI and two stolen bases in 2026 Grapefruit League action, a .261 average that matched what Sports Illustrated tracked as a 14-game slash of .261/.308/.391. The added reps came largely because so many Blue Jays regulars were away competing in the World Baseball Classic, giving Clase a longer look than he might otherwise have received. It still wasn't enough to push past what Toronto views as its top five or six outfielders for the Opening Day roster.

Clase was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in 2024 after a short stint with the Mariners earlier that year. Over 60 career major-league games he carries a .224/.294/.311 slash line with three home runs and 14 RBI, and he previously helped the Blue Jays absorb outfield injuries including a stint covering for center fielder Daulton Varsho.

The Blue Jays also announced that infielder Arjun Nimmala, 20, was assigned to minor-league camp. Nimmala, selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft and ranked No. 77 on MLB's top-100 prospect list, posted a .224/.313/.381 slash line with 106 hits, 31 home runs, 61 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 473 at-bats with Single-A Vancouver last year. He batted .261 in 14 spring games with six hits, three RBI and two stolen bases before receiving his minor-league assignment.

Five additional players were sent to minor-league camp alongside Nimmala: left-handers Javen Coleman and Michael Plassmeyer, catcher Geovanny Planchart, and infielders Sean Keys and Charles McAdoo.

With Clase removed from the mix, outfield playing time could shift toward Myles Straw, Davis Schneider and Will Wagner. Toronto also recalled infielder Leo Jiménez to add middle-infield depth while shortstop Bo Bichette is day-to-day with a knee injury.

This is not the first time Clase and Jiménez have been paired in a transaction. On July 1, 2025, the Blue Jays recalled Jiménez from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of a Canada Day game against the New York Yankees, with Clase's corresponding demotion to Buffalo announced the same day. Jiménez had yet to appear for Toronto that season but had batted .271 with one RBI in 15 games for the Bisons before that recall.

The Blue Jays open their 2026 regular season March 27 against the Oakland Athletics in Toronto. The Buffalo Bisons begin their Triple-A campaign April 1 in Omaha, where Clase will be expected to contribute from the outset.