The Toronto Blue Jays are bringing back a familiar face to the team to help them during this final stretch of the season, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
“The Toronto Blue Jays claimed utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell ESPN. Kiner-Falefa spent 2024 with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Pirates on July 30,” Passan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Kiner-Falefa signed a two-year deal with the Blue Jays to enter the 2024 season, but was traded at last year's deadline. The Pirates recently put him on outright waivers, and the Blue Jays had the perfect opportunity to bring him back. In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays have transferred Yimi Garcia to the 60-day IL as he is undergoing season-ending surgery to remove scar tissue from his right elbow.
Bringing back Kiner-Falefa should be a move that the Blue Jays should like, especially since he was one of the more respected players on the team. There was a time during the season when he was batting .292 with a .758 OPS over 83 games split between third base and shortstop when Bo Bichette was dealing with injuries.
It also made sense for the Blue Jays to pick up Kiner-Falefa after it was announced that Ernie Clement was playing with a hairline fracture to a bone on his left middle finger. It doesn't seem like the injury is that serious, because Clement is in the lineup for the Blue Jays, and the hope is that the injury doesn't get worse while he's playing with it.
The Blue Jays are 78-58 and are in first place in the AL East, and with them signing Kiner-Falefa before Sept. 1, he'll be available to play in the postseason. Since he's familiar with the team, he should seamlessly fit in with what they're doing on the field.
