Jackie Bradley Jr. signs with Blue Jays days after Red Sox release
BOSTON -- Jackie Bradley Jr. is staying in the American League East. Five days after being released by the Red Sox, the outfielder has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays are currently 60-49 and sitting in the top Wild Card spot in the American League. They are in second place in the AL East, 6.5 games up on the last place Red Sox.
Chaim Bloom acquired Bradley Jr. and a pair of prospects -- Alex Binelas and David Hamilton -- over the offseason in a trade with the Brewers, sending Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee. Bradley Jr. played in 91 games in his second go-around with the Red Sox, and while his defense remained as solid as ever, his offense was nearly non-existent.
He hit just .210 with the Red Sox, and going back to last season with the Brewers, Bradley Jr. has slashed just .182/.244/.286 over the last two years. But with George Springer landing on the IL with an elbow injury on Monday, Toronto could use a little more help in the outfield.
Bradley Jr. was a first-round pick by Boston in 2011 and helped the team win the World Series in 2018, earning ALCS MVP honors after the team's five-game series win over the Houston Astros.
Now he'll likely meet up with his former team in the coming months, with the Blue Jays set to play six games against the Red Sox the rest of the way. Toronto will visit Boston for a three-game set from Aug. 23-25, and the Red Sox will head up north for their penultimate series of the regular season.
