Bowden Francis re-joins the Blue Jays as Trevor Richards hits the 15-day Injured List

The Toronto Blue Jays made a roster move ahead of their series finale with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Trevor Richards has been placed on the 15-day Injured List with neck inflammation and Bowden Francis has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in his place.

Losing Richards is a significant blow to Toronto’s bullpen. The veteran right-hander has pitched in a variety of different roles for the Blue Jays this season, serving as an opener, a multi-inning bridge arm in the middle of games, and a late-game option in high-leverage spots.

All told, Richards has an impressive 2.98 ERA across 39 appearances for the Blue Jays this season. His 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest of any pitcher on the Blue Jays and his 54 1/3 innings pitched is the most among the team’s relievers.

Francis has bounced up and down between the Blue Jays and Buffalo this season. He pitched two scoreless innings in Toronto’s loss to the Orioles on Monday and was optioned the following day to make room on the active roster for Hyun Jin Ryu.

Through seven outings with the Blue Jays, Francis has scattered four earned runs over 15 2/3 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts and four walks. He has a 2.88 ERA over 25 innings in Triple-A with a whopping 39 strikeouts compared to only six walks.