BALTIMORE—Although the Blue Jays had already made clear their intention to drop Josh Thole from their roster on Friday with the trade for Dioner Navarro, the club formalized the move Monday afternoon when they designated Thole for assignment. The 29-year-old, who works almost exclusively as R.A. Dickey’s personal knuckleball catcher, will be exposed to waivers. “We’re hoping to get him back,” said manager John Gibbons, who added that Thole was disappointed when given the news. “But he understood what was going on.”If, as expected, Thole re-signs with the Jays after Sept. 1, he will be ineligible to play in the post-season. AL FEAST: Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles kicked off 15 straight games against AL East opponents for the Jays as division races set to heat up in the season’s home stretch.

Source: thestar August 30, 2016 00:18 UTC