Blue Jays sign former All-Star pitcher in surprise free agent opportunity
They've signed left-handed pitcher Joe Mantiply, according to the team's transaction log.
Advertisement
Mantiply, with a quirky southpaw delivery, was an NL All-Star for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022.
He struggled to start this season, allowing 17 runs in 9.2 innings to lead to his release.
Mantiply was a bit of a journeyman early in his career. He made his MLB debut for the Tigers in 2016, then wasn't back in the majors until 2019 for one outing with the Yankees.
He got shelled in four Arizona outings in 2020, but then was great in 2021 with a 3.40 ERA.
His All-Star season in 2022 featured a 2.85 ERA and almost exactly a strikeout per inning.
MORE: Why Nationals chose Eli Willits over Ethan Holliday at No. 1 overall pick
Advertisement
In 2023 and 2024 (4.62 ERA, 3.92 ERA), Mantiply was still useful if not a star.
But this season, nothing went his way.
The 34-year old will try to work his way up from the Blue Jays' Florida Complex League team.
If all goes well, the 6-foot-4 left-hander could help down the stretch of the season.
If not, it was a low-risk opportunity taken by the Blue Jays.
MORE MLB DRAFT:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
6 minutes ago
- New York Times
Victor Wembanyama cleared to return to Spurs after blood clot: Reports
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said he is 'officially cleared to return' from the deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder that cut his 2024-25 season short, he told French newspaper L'Équipe. Wembanyama, 21, said San Antonio's medical staff told him Friday he had the green light to return to basketball, which would mark just over five months since the team discovered the blood clot upon his return from All-Star weekend. The finding stunted his sophomore season at 46 games and curtailed a historically rare season; he was the first player to record averages of 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 3-pointers made per game before the injury. Advertisement Team sources were unwilling to confirm, but news of his return was also reported by ESPN. San Antonio went 21-25 in the games Wembanyama played and 13-23 in its games without him last season. The team landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft lottery and selected guard Dylan Harper, who is expected to join reigning rookies of the year Stephon Castle and Wembanyama to give the Spurs a young trio that could compete in the playoffs. Wembanyama has had a full offseason despite the injury, including a trip to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China, to train with monks for two weeks. The Spurs have also had a transformative offseason, as longtime legendary coach Gregg Popovich stepped down in May to move to a front-office role after he suffered a stroke in November that forced him away from the sidelines. Wembanyama and multiple other NBA stars have dealt with blood clots in recent seasons. Then-Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard was temporarily shut down in March after doctors found a DVT in his calf, the Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson missed time from March to November 2024 with a blood clot, and Miami Heat star Chris Bosh was forced to retire in 2016 due to the recurrence of a clot, which constituted a career-ending illness. The Spurs center told L'Equipe he is 'right on schedule' with the recovery plan and that the DVT is 'officially behind me.' He said he has not played five-on-five action for five months and has to ramp up his training to be game-ready. The 21-year-old will not suit up for the French national team when EuroBasket 2025 starts on Aug. 27, joining Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier as roster exclusions due to health and recovery reasons. Team France will be highlighted by the top two picks from last year's draft, Atlanta Hawks wing Zaccharie Risacher and Washington Wizards big Alex Sarr, as well as Wizards wing Bilal Coulibaly and New York Knicks big Guerschon Yabusele. Wembanayama will likely still be in the ramp-up phase of his recovery program when the tournament begins, so his priority will be preparing for the grind of a full NBA season as an emerging superstar. Advertisement His minutes per game increased from 29.7 as a rookie to 33.2 as a sophomore last season, with another increase possibly on the way. He will likely take on even more offensive responsibility as his skill set improves, meaning his offseason training program will be crucial to setting the stage for a sustainably healthy and productive season. The Spurs' offense will further evolve this year now that former All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox will take the reins at the point from Chris Paul, who often had the Spurs playing a slower pace in the half-court. Wembanayama plans to be ready for a full return by the start of training camp in late September, his first alongside Fox. The pair only played five games together after the Spurs acquired Fox at the trade deadline. San Antonio finished 34-48 after Wembanyama was ruled out, but showed early signs of promise with a 17-16 run heading into the new year. With Castle entering his second season, Harper coming to town and former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet providing center depth to help manage Wembanyama's load throughout the season, San Antonio has a chance to take another big step forward this season.
NBC Sports
7 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Stash List: Bubba Chandler, Zebby Matthews, Spencer Arrighetti, and more
Happy All-Star break everybody! With a pause in the constant action of the major league season, this week is a great time to take a deep breath and evaluate where our teams are at before the championship push. With that, it's a good moment to make the potential risky play of stashing a minor leaguer or injured player who can be ready to help us over the next few weeks. D.J. Short, Here are my three favorite players to stash right now. At the end of this piece, there is a more exhaustive list of all possible stash options for all league types and sizes. Bubba Chandler, SP Pirates The eternal stash, Chandler seemed to be on the doorstep for a call-up much earlier this season. On May 1st, he had a 1.42 ERA through six starts at Triple-A with 36 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings with just seven walks. His fastball was touching 100 mph and that pitch along with a devastating slider and burgeoning changeup gave him a major league quality repertoire. The minors seemed too easy and it felt like he was on a similar timeline to Paul Skenes from the season before. Then, the promotion never came and his performance cratered. Over Chandler's next 36 innings through the end of June, he had a 4.75 ERA and walked 26 batters. That translated to a 15.0% walk rate. Walks had been a bit of a problem for Chandler through the lower minors. A problem he solved over the last few years though and during this period, the zone rates on his individual pitches remained mostly steady. So, it was strange to watch that walk rate sharply tick up. Trying to read between the lines a bit, Chandler is known to be tenaciously competitive. He was an accomplished high school quarterback recruit verbally committed to Clemson when the Pirates drafted him and after Paul Skenes was named the opening day starter this season, he basically told him to enjoy it while it lasts. "The cool thing is, [Bubba Chandler] sent me a text when the [Opening Day starter] video came out today and he said 'It's going to be tough next year when you're starting Day 2'" This rotation doesn't lack confidence. Love it. Not that it's any type of excuse, but maybe he let those feelings that he deserved a promotion distract him a bit during that rough patch. He'd dominated Triple-A over nearly 40 innings last season, came out of the gate firing again this season, and clearly seemed deserving of a spot in the major league rotation. Then, it's possible the idea that the Pirates may have been manipulating his service time could've crept in and suddenly, his focus was gone. More recently, Chandler has gotten back on track. He's completed six innings of each of his last two starts and not allowed a run over that span with 13 strikeouts and four walks. Also, it was telling to see the emotion with which he's been pitching with. Bubba Chandler - MUCH better 🔥 His best start in a while. - 6.0IP, 5H, 0R, 0ER, 2BB, 6SO's Retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced A very, very encouraging sign tonight. Love it Clearly, he's let some demons out and seems ready to rip again. Trade rumors have been swirling around Mitch Keller all summer and there's a good chance Andrew Heaney is on the move as well. When a rotation spot opens, Chandler will get it and has a chance to be a high-level pitcher down the stretch. Zebby Matthews, SP Twins This past Sunday, Matthews made his first rehab start since going on the injured list with a shoulder strain in early June. He struck out nine over four scoreless innings with Triple-A St. Paul. Apart from the results, his stuff was sharp. He touched 99 mph with his fastball and sat between 97-98 mph over his 56 total pitches. Of the 15 swings-and-misses he forced, eight were with his hard slider that he commanded well low in the zone. Also, after his four scoreless innings, the Iowa Cubs put up eight runs on St. Paul's bullpen over the final five innings of that game. There are reports that this could be the only rehab start for Matthews too. The Twins' rotation has been crushed by injuries this season with Pablo López on the shelf with a serious shoulder strain, Matthews missing the last six weeks, and Bailey Ober out right now with a hip impingement. Not to mention, the trio of David Festa, Chris Paddack, and Simeon Woods-Richardson have not pitched well themselves while flanking All-Star Joe Ryan in this staff. So, there's a need for Matthews at the big league level the moment he's deemed ready. It's telling that the Twins started his rehab at Triple-A too, rather than having him build himself up in the lower minors. It seems likely he makes his next start in the majors and while he'll likely be capped around 75 or so pitches in that one, he is a must-roster player through the second half with huge strikeout upside and the stuff to be a clear top-40 or so pitcher for the rest of the season. Spencer Arrighetti, SP Astros A less-talked about stash than injured stars like Shane McClanahan or Pablo López, Arrighetti is on the doorstep of a rehab assignment and could be in line for both more innings and more reliable results when he eventually returns. One fear of stashing pitchers is that oftentimes they are out with arm injuries, obviously. Shoulder strains, Tommy John surgery, small tears in a ligament, and other injuries of the like will cause teams to be more careful with their recovering pitchers. Also, they can hurt a pitcher's effectiveness upon return. So, too often we'll stash a pitcher recovering from a major injury, hold them through their rehab, and then get a lesser version of them when they're finally back or worse, watch a setback derail all their progress. Arrighetti has been out since April with a broken bone in his thumb that happened when he was hit by a line drive while having a catch during batting practice. It's a serious injury to have kept him from the team for three months, but not one where there's a serious risk of re-injury or poor effectiveness after all this time. With a right thumb injury, Arrighetti's return will be all about how well he can grip the ball. He's been throwing regular bullpen sessions for a month now, so everything seems fine there. As long as his command and velocity hold up during his soon-to-be rehab assignment, he should return to an Astros' rotation that could use some help on the back-end and be the same top-50 adjacent pitcher we expected him to be coming into the season. Other Stash Options Shane McClanahan just began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham and threw 36 pitches, so it's likely still multiple weeks before he's back. Blake Snell and Michael King are on similar timelines, nearing rehab assignments while recovering from shorter-term injuries than McClanahan. Kyle Bradish has begun to throw as he works back from Tommy John surgery early last season, but it's unlikely we get bulk from him for the rest of the season. The Orioles just want to be sure he's fully healthy and ready to go ahead of 2026. Similarly, his teammate Grayson Rodriguez is throwing bullpen sessions as the team remains hopeful he'll return from a serious lat strain he suffered during spring training. Again, it seems like the Orioles just want to make sure these guys are ready for 2026 after getting their feet wet to close out this season. Luis Gil began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset last weekend and is expected to be back in the Yankees' rotation within a few weeks. Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia are both on the long road back to the Astros' rotation. Javier is a bit ahead of Garcia and is already on a rehab assignment. Don't expect either back before August and their roles may not be as traditional starters given how long they've both been recovering from Tommy John surgery. Don't forget about struggling starters Aaron Nola, Bailey Ober, or Zach Eflin. Each has a long track record of success, especially Nola, and will be back over the next few weeks. Luke Keaschall and Dylan Crews have the ability to get hot and steal heaps of bases when they're each back with their respective teams relatively soon, just without the guarantee of major league playing time for either. So, be mindful of stashing them. Logan Henderson of the Brewers is likely the most talented pitcher stuck in Triple-A at the moment, but without any angle to wedge his way back into their big league rotation unless there are multiple injuries or trades to clear up space. Francisco Álvarez will be back and starting at catcher for the Mets before long. Kristian Campbell may be for the Red Sox too as they seem to have available playing time at both first and second base. Campbell is more of a second baseman by trade, but has mixed in a bit at first during his current stint at Triple-A. Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and/or Blade Tidwell could mix into the Mets' rotation by seasons' end. Especially since they have five healthy starters and usually like to carry six with Kodai Senga preferring to pitch every sixth day rather than five. Dylan Beavers (BAL), CJ Kayfus (CLE), Juan Brito (CLE), could see playing time open up for them if their big league clubs shed talent at the trade deadline. Owen Caissie (CHC), Justin Crawford (PHI), Mick Abel (PHI) and Ian Seymour (TBR) could find themselves in trades if their teams find a deal for them, which could put them in position for major league playing time afterwards. Be wary of top prospects Andrew Painter (PHI) and Samuel Basallo (BAL). Painter will pitch for the Phillies this season, but they will have five unquestioned starters when Nola returns and he may find himself in more of a swing-man role to prepare for the playoffs. If the Orioles wanted to promote Basallo, they likely would've done so by now since they're on to their sixth starting catcher of the season already.
Indianapolis Star
13 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Caitlin Clark will compete in first WNBA 3-point contest despite injuries, shooting slump
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will participate in Friday's WNBA 3-point contest in her home arena. It comes after months of speculation from fans, who hoped to see Clark, known for her deep logo 3s, participate in a 3-point contest for the first time. Clark declined doing the 3-point contest at WNBA All-Star in Phoenix last summer, citing rest and mental health after what was a hectic rookie season. She had never shot off a rack, she said, and didn't have time to practice ahead of the 2024 All-Star break. "I think the biggest thing was for me, it's just like, I need a break," Clark said last July. "I'm gonna take some time for myself to enjoy what I want to do, and at times that can be tough in the position I'm in, but I think it was healthiest for myself." Clark's decision to do the WNBA 3-point contest at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this week comes after she also declined participating in another version of an NBA vs. WNBA 3-point contest at the NBA's All-Star weekend in San Francisco in February. At the time, Clark's representatives said she preferred to make her 3-point contest debut in front of her home fans. 'She wants her first 3-point contest to be at WNBA All-Star in Indianapolis this summer," her representatives at Excel Sports said in a statement in February. New York's Sabrina Ionescu and Washington rookie Sonia Citron have already confirmed they'll compete in Friday's 3-point event. With injuries and a slight shooting slump this season, however, Clark's participation was up in the air until now. She is shooting 28.9% from 3-point range this season, down from 34.4% in her rookie year. She has been in a slump beyond the arc, likely stemming from her multiple injuries this season. Clark, an All-Star captain, has been injured for just about half of the season with left quad and groin injuries, impacting her play and practice time. She returned from her groin injury on July 9 and has been ramping back up to full speed since then. The WNBA's 3-point contest and Skills Competition are 8 p.m., Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Confirmed participants so far: The 2025 Starry WNBA 3-point contest and KIA WNBA Skills competition will be aired on ESPN, 8 p.m., Friday.
