Nick

Sandlin

Sandlin had been shelved since April 20 due to a lat strain. He made it through a minor league rehab assignment without issue though and is ready to rejoin the Jays’ bullpen. Justin Bruihl was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move on Friday.

Sandlin, out since Apr. 20 with a lat strain, was making his first Triple-A appearance after allowing two runs — one earned — over 2 1/3 innings in two outings in Rookie ball. He gave up back-to-back homers to Jhonkensy Noel and C.J. Kayfus last night, so it seems like he’ll need a few more appearances before being activated.

No word yet on how long Sandlin will be on the shelf. The 28-year-old righty has compiled a strong 2.25 ERA across 10 relief appearances this season in his Blue Jays debut after coming over from the Guardians in an offseason trade.

Sandlin, 27, was acquired from the Guardians in the December as part of the Andrés Giménez trade. He was a weapon out of the Guardians’ bullpen in 2024, compiling a 3.75 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 68/27 K/BB ratio 57 2/3 innings. He’s expected to function in a setup capacity for the Jays in 2025.

Sandlin augments Toronto’s bullpen heading into next season after spending the last four years as a reliable cog in Cleveland’s bullpen, posting a strong 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 223/92 K/BB ratio across 195 1/3 innings (209 appearances).

Sandlin has been a mainstay in Cleveland’s bullpen for the last four years, posting a strong 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 223/92 K/BB ratio across 195 1/3 innings (209 appearances). The 27-year-old righty will bolster Toronto’s relief depth heading into next season.

The game won’t be replayed because it has zero meaning to the Astros and Guardians. Houston now will begin a Wild Card series against the Tigers on Tuesday, while the Guardians will take on the winner of that series in the ALDS.

Sandlin had a 2.54 ERA heading into his final appearance before the injury, but he battled through a back injury en route to letting up three runs in that outing. Sandlin will return to a central role in the Guardians’ bullpen.

Sandlin gave up three runs in his last appearance to take his ERA from 2.54 to 3.49. The Guardians will lean a little more on Scott Barlow and Sam Hentges now.

The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Monday, August 26. The Guardians were going to roll with a bullpen game starting with Nick Sandlin on Wednesday, so it’s likely that they’ll just skip over that entirely and keep Tanner Bibee on schedule for Thursday’s series finale. Expect the Royals to push Brady Singer back to Thursday.