Blue Jays’ Former Pitcher Joins AL West After 3-Day Stint In Toronto

Veteran right-handed reliever Austin Voth has signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, his third American League organization this season. Voth was twice designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays after struggling, including a recent outing where he yielded five runs. He then joined the Minnesota Twins but elected free agency rather than a Triple-A assignment. With a 9.90 ERA and 2.50 WHIP over 10 major league innings this year, Voth aims to rebuild his value. The Rangers view him as an experienced depth option, underscoring the challenging nature of roster spots for veteran relievers.

Major league opportunities can disappear almost as quickly as they arrive, particularly for veteran relievers trying to hold onto roster spots.

For pitchers bouncing between organizations, one rough outing can change the trajectory of an entire season, and that seems to have been the case with former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Austin Voth.

After joining the Blue Jays to eat some important innings as the team struggled to field a healthy pitching staff, Voth was designated for assignment by the team twice before leaving for the Minnesota Twins. Now he has been cut again and is hoping for a longer stay with a new American League club.

Voth's latest move comes after he elected free agency following his departure from the Minnesota Twins organization, quickly finding a new home in the American League West.

“Voth elected free agency from the Twins last week rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul,” David Shovein noted for NBC Sports. “The 34-year-old right-hander has made three appearances in the big leagues this season, posting a 9.90 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and a 3/6 K/BB ratio over 10 innings between the Twins and Blue Jays.”

The move gives the Rangers another experienced depth option as they continue navigating the long regular season. While Voth struggled in limited major league action this year, he has logged parts of multiple MLB seasons and remains a viable organizational arm.

The Blue Jays' decision to move on from Voth came almost immediately after his latest opportunity with the club.

“Voth was brought up to the (Blue Jays’) big-league roster … and gave up five runs on five hits and four walks over 3.1 innings in bulk relief,” CBS Sports reported in May. “He's subsequently lost his place on the 40-man roster in favor of Hayden Juenger, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo (the next day) in a corresponding transaction.”

That move ended up being the final one between the Blue Jays and the reliever, and it represented just a three-day stint to end his tenure.

“Toronto has now DFA’ed Voth twice this season, and the first designation in early April saw Voth elect free agency rather than an accept outright assignment to Triple-A, though he soon re-signed with the Jays on a new minor league deal,” Mark Polishuk noted for MLB Trade Rumors. “In both cases, Voth was designated after eating some innings in a bullpen game — he allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings in a 3-0 loss to the White Sox on April 5, and was hit hard for five runs over 3 1/3 innings in (a) 6-5 victory over the Orioles.”

Ultimately, in two games for the Blue Jays this season, Voth appeared in six innings and gave up six earned runs. Now, Voth will try to rebuild his value with the Rangers organization and work his way back to the major leagues once again.