September 4, 2020

By Adam Morissette

Baseball Canada

The Major League Baseball trade deadline passed on August 31 with three Canadian big leaguers switching organizations, including Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) and Cal Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.) moving from the San Diego Padres to the Cleveland Indians in a nine-player blockbuster.

Victoria’s Nick Pivetta was dealt from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Boston Red Sox earlier in August and is currently training at his new team’s alternate site.

Naylor and Quantrill both debuted with Cleveland in Kansas City on Tuesday with Naylor going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and a RBI while Quantrill worked two scoreless innings in relief where he recorded two strikeouts.

The news has not been positive for a pair of Canadian hurlers in the American League East as James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) of the New York Yankees and Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) of the Toronto Blue Jays are both on the injured list.

Paxton suffered a flexor strain on August 20 but began to throw again on September 3 and could be back before the end of the regular season, while Romano left his outing in Tampa Bay on August 28 with a middle finger issue on his throwing hand.

Houston Astros’ infielder Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) continues to see regular playing time and started September off on the right foot with a 2-for-4 performance at home against Texas.

Over in the National League and mired in an 0-for-18 slump, Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) returned to the Cincinnati Reds’ lineup on August 29 and has gone 9-for-20 with three homers, a double and four RBI since. The streak included a walk-off base-hit in the Reds’ win over the Cardinals on September 2.

Speaking of the Cardinals, Maple Ridge, B.C., native Tyler O’Neill has started September with a mini two-game hit streak and will look to improve on his three home runs thus far this season as the Cardinals make a push towards the post season.

Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, B.C.) picked up four saves in August working out of the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen, a team that finds itself in first place in the National League Central.

Wick has been a key piece of the Cubs’ bullpen this season and figures to log some important innings in the month of September.

Out for the season after tearing his Achilles tendon on August 3, Atlanta Braves starter Mike Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) met with the media in late August to discuss his recovery.