The Toronto Blue Jays are in a series against the Houston Astros, and they are one game closer to winning. They took the W in the first game, thanks in large part to the Blue Jays bullpen. Tyler Rogers, Brayden Fisher, and Louis Varland followed up the 5.2 inning performance delivered by Dylan Cease to secure a victory. Rogers earned a hold, Fisher the win, and Varland a save. However, that wasn’t the only Blue Jays news, as an update regarding Max Viera has emerged after the Luis Urias trade.
The victory helps close the gap between them and the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. They sit 7.5 games back of the AL East lead. This is due to the combination of a two-game win streak and a three-game losing streak from the Yankees.
Here is what you need to know about Viera and what he brings to the Blue Jays organization following the acquisition of Urias.
Toronto Blue Jays News: Team Acquires Max Viera
A couple of days ago, the Blue Jays acquired Viera. According to the team’s transaction page, they acquired him from the Atlantic League, where he was playing for the High Point Rockers.
On his MLB profile page, Viera is listed as 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. The 25-year-old is listed as throwing and batting right-handed. He is listed as a shortstop on the team’s website.
Max Viera’s Trait That Appeals to the Blue Jays
To be fair, Viera has a couple of traits that are certainly appealing to the Blue Jays.
The first trait is his ability to hit for contact. Viera is not a power hitter, as his nine home runs in 139 Atlantic League games display. However, he makes timely contact, helping his team score runs.
In the Atlantic League, he has 134 hits, 28 doubles, 75 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases while owning a .258 batting average.
In addition to being able to hit for contact, the 25-year-old can play virtually every position. According to the team’s press release on the Blue Jays’ acquisition, Viera has started games at DH, second base, third base, right, left, and center field.
That kind of versatility screams “Blue Jays player.”
Luis Urias Trade & Aftermath
This transaction is announced following the team’s trading for Urias.
In another surprising move, the Blue Jays acquired Urias in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks (for cash). Prior to yesterday’s game against the Astros, the Blue Jays selected his contract while optioning Yohendrick Pinango to the Buffalo Bisons. He was active for last night’s game despite not getting into game action.
Urias’ versatility should come in handy at any point in the coming days. John Schneider likes to juggle his lineups. Because of this, it’s not hard to conceive that he could find a way to work in his newly acquired infielder.
The Blue Jays don’t have a day off until July 2nd, where they take a break from playing the New York Mets and prepare for playing back-to-back series against the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants.
No matter what happens next, the Blue Jays have another player who can come in and play second base and shortstop. Additionally, Urias offers solid contact hitting and hits left-handed pitchers well. Considering that the next two starters for the Astros are both right-handed, it’s likely that Urias’ first Blue Jays game will come after this series.
One way or another, seeing what the Blue Jays do next with Urias will be an interesting storyline to follow.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Blue Jays Add New Versatile Hitter After Luis Urias Trade appeared first on HEAVY.