Arizona has claimed Wil Nieves off waivers from Colorado after the veteran backup catcher was designated for assignment last week.
Miguel Montero’s usual backup, Henry Blanco, has been sidelined by a thumb injury and is undergoing further tests to determine if he has a torn ligament.
Nieves is a career .226 hitter with a .568 OPS, which is the third-worst mark among all active non-pitchers with at least 750 plate appearances ahead of only Brandon Wood and Koyie Hill.
ATLANTA — An apparent roster snafu forced the Toronto Blue Jays to change their pitching plans for Thursday night’s game at the Atlanta Braves.
After Nate Pearson gave up three runs in five innings, manager Charlie Montoyo brought in right-hander Jacob Waguespack to open the sixth.
As Waguespack walked to the mound, he was greeted by home plate umpire Alan Porter, who apparently delivered some bad news: The right-hander wasn’t on the 28-man active roster for the game.
The Blue Jays optioned Waguespack and infielder Santiago Espinal to the team’s alternate training site on Thursday to reach the 28-man roster limit.
Montoyo told reporters before the game Waguespack had been recalled when right-hander Trent Thornton was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. That move apparently was not processed, leaving Waguespack off the active roster.
Waguespack walked to the dugout and Montoyo brought in Rafael Dolis as the official replacement for Pearson.