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Blue Jays suddenly promote 27-year-old pitcher for MLB debut
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- Blue Jays suddenly promote 27-year-old pitcher for MLB debut
The Toronto Blue Jays ' final game before the MLB All-Star break could be the first for CJ Van Eyk.
The right-handed pitcher was promoted to the Jays' 26-man roster ahead of their July 12 game in San Diego . Chad Dallas was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.
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Van Eyk, 27, was 5-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 17 games (13 starts) for the Blue Jays ' top farm team this season. He was previously on the taxi squad during the Blue Jays' road series against the Chicago White Sox , but was not added to their active roster.
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It's the second season for Van Eyk with the Bisons after he went 4-6 with a 4.94 ERA in 20 games (17 starts) in the International League in 2025.
Dallas, 26, was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two games out of the Toronto bullpen this season. His latest major league call-up lasted only five days.
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It's likely Van Eyk will be in the bullpen for a possible appearance in relief of starter Kevin Gausman . German Márquez is starting for the Padres.
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Van Eyk was drafted in the second round (42nd overall) by the Blue Jays in 2020 out of Florida State, and signed for $1,797,500.
The Tampa native had only one professional season under his belt (2021) when he underwent Tommy John surgery, knocking him out for all of 2022 and delaying his progress to the big leagues.
Van Eyk struggled at times in his first full season back, going 3-8 with a 5.68 ERA at Double-A New Hampshire in 2025.
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The 2026 season has been a smoother ride. Van Eyk was leading the Bisons in strikeouts (56 in 78.1 innings) while allowing fewer than one hit per inning at the time of his promotion.
In his most recent appearance on July 8, Van Eyk relieved a rehabbing Max Scherzer and threw five scoreless innings against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 8.
Since he has never been on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster previously, Van Eyk has three option years remaining.
