Blue Jays give rehabbing former Guardians reliever a fresh chance after recent DFA

So far this offseason, the big story around the Cleveland Guardians has been the striking number of additions to their bullpen. 

But that doesn’t mean they haven’t subtracted from their bullpen either. 

One of those subtractions came in the form of Nic Enright, who was designated for assignment at the end of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. 

Enright officially found a new home on Wednesday by signing a two-year minor league contract with the Blue Jays, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. 

While Enright posted a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings last season, that aforementioned injury hurt his standing on Cleveland’s roster, which led to the Guardians deciding to DFA him to free up some additional space ahead of the Rule 5 Draft deadline. 

Now Cleveland’s loss has become Toronto’s gain. 

Former Guardians reliever Nic Enright lands on his feet with Toronto Blue Jays 

Enright being claimed by the Blue Jays is just another chapter in his incredibly inspiring MLB journey, as he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2022 and rose through the minor league ranks while also undergoing immunotherapy.

Enright made his eventual MLB debut in May with a scoreless outing against the Tigers, and ended up becoming an important piece in Cleveland’s bullpen before the season was over. 

He picked up his first career win in relief at the end of June (ironically against the Blue Jays) and even recorded his first career save in August in a win over the Mets.

The Guardians bullpen became an “all hands on deck” situation after Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave, and Enright was one of the relievers who stepped up to answer the call. 

But he was placed on the injured list at the start of September due to forearm inflammation and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery after the season. 

Enright’s deal with the Blue Jays is the best-case scenario (given the situation) since it gives him the peace of mind of being able to rehab with a team while the Blue Jays get to stash him off their 40-man roster in the hopes that he can get back to being a productive MLB pitcher in 2027.

Although the Blue Jays came within two outs of winning the World Series last season, they’ve been aggressive this offseason, and adding Enright falls into that category, even if it’s a minor move. It’s not a surprise that the Blue Jays coveted Enright considering they have a front office led by two Cleveland alums and a roster chalk full of former Guardians.

While we’re always going to be cheering for Enright from afar, it’s still a bit disappointing that the next chapter of his MLB career won’t be penned in Cleveland.