Blue Jays Sign Starting Pitcher Who Played 2025 Season In Japan

The Toronto Blue Jays didn't really make a big announcement about it, but Austin Voth is already pitching for their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. 

The Blue Jays quietly signed the 33-year-old right-hander to a minor league deal after the Chicago White Sox released him at the end of spring training camp, and Voth made his debut for the Bisons over the weekend, throwing three innings with two strikeouts and no walks, though he did give up a pair of solo home runs. 

Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage are all starting the season on the injured list. Now, Cody Ponce looks like he'll be out with an injury as well. 

Toronto needs starting depth in Buffalo, and Voth can give them exactly that.

Seven MLB Seasons, a Year in Japan, and Still Going

Voth has been around the block. 

He made his big league debut with the Washington Nationals in 2018 as a fifth-round pick and spent five seasons there before stints with the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. 

His career ERA sits at 4.70 across 360 and a third innings, but that number is dragged down heavily by his early Washington years. 

SIGNING

The Jays have signed RHP Austin Voth to a minor league deal

In the majors, Voth has pitched for the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners. He owns a career 4.70 ERA in 360 1/3 innings. Of his 207 career appearances, 168 have come out of the pen pic.twitter.com/jMs6zMi93G

— Blue Jays Express (@jays_express) March 28, 2026

Over his last three big league seasons, he owns a 4.29 ERA, and his 2024 campaign with Seattle was quietly solid, when he posted a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings with a 25 percent strikeout rate and a walk rate just over 7 percent. 

Last year, he took his game to Japan, making 22 starts for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball and posting a 3.96 ERA in 125 innings with good command. 

He came back to North America this spring on a White Sox minor league deal, barely got any game reps in Cactus League play, and was released when Chicago finalized their roster. 

Why the Blue Jays Signed Austin Voth and What Comes Next

Voth has experience as both a starter and a reliever (39 career starts among 207 MLB appearances), which gives Toronto flexibility in how they use him at Buffalo. 

With Bieber's ramp-up still ongoing, Berrios dealing with elbow concerns, Yesavage also unavailable, and Ponce now injured, the Blue Jays' Triple-A rotation needed a veteran arm who could eat innings and keep things together while the cavalry gets healthy. 

Photo Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images