Junior Lake replaces Darrell Ceciliani as the Toronto Blue Jays’ fourth outfielder ahead of a six-game road trip through Chicago and Denver.
Lake, a right-handed hitting 26-year-old, had his contract selected Friday while the Blue Jays optioned Ceciliani back to triple-A Buffalo.
In 69 games with the Bisons this year, Lake has a .244/.328/.387 batting line with six home runs, 12 doubles and nine stolen bases. He has played all three outfield positions this year, including 38 games in right field and 26 games in centre.
Once considered a promising prospect, Lake debuted for the 2013 Cubs and produced at the plate right away with a .760 OPS, six home runs and 16 doubles. His offence fell off in 2014-15, though, as he posted a .590 OPS with 10 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 137 total games.
The Blue Jays’ outfield depth has been stretched thin of late, since Jose Bautista is on the disabled list with turf toe. As a result Ezequiel Carrera was playing every day in right field until a sore Achilles sidelined him for Wednesday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
