Phillies DFA 3-Year Blue Jays Veteran For Creative Roster Add

BusinessSportsMoneyPhillies DFA 3-Year Blue Jays Veteran For Creative Roster AddByPeter Chawaga,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Peter Chawaga is a writer and editor covering Major League Baseball.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 06:00am EDTBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 04: Zach Pop #56 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws to first to force out Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park on May 04, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe Philadelphia Phillies continue to search for every possible roster advantage as they pursue another deep postseason run. And that pursuit led the club to make an unusual transaction involving a former Toronto Blue Jays reliever last week.The Phillies designated right-hander Zach Pop for assignment shortly after reinstating him from the injured list, creating room on the 40-man roster for another pitcher returning from injury in a fairly unique way.“Phillies had to get righty reliever Max Lazar back on the 40-man roster because his rehab clock expired, so they DFA’d Zach Pop, who was also on a rehab assignment,” The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported on X, formerly Twitter.Because the Phillies needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Lazar to activate him and then option him, Pop, who pitched across three seasons for the Blue Jays, had to be designated for assignment.ForbesDodgers’ Kyle Tucker Makes Change For First Time Since Leaving Cubs As Concerns MountBy Peter ChawagaMORE FOR YOUPhiladelphia Phillies Cut Veteran Pitcher From Big-League Roster In Creative Roster ShuffleThe move represents a disappointing turn for Pop, who joined the Phillies in the offseason but had been sidelined with elbow inflammation after making a brief appearance on the mound earlier this season, including a career first.“Pop hit the IL in mid-April with a right calf strain,” Charlie Wright wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “He began a rehab assi...