Two Blue Jays immediately elect free agency

Story by

J.P. Hoornstra

Thu, Apr 9, 2026 ·

2 min read

The Blue Jays outrighted Josh Fleming and Austin Voth to Triple-A Buffalo, and both pitchers elected free agency April 9 in lieu of reporting to Toronto ’s top farm team.

Fleming, 29, allowed four runs (all earned) in three innings in his only big league appearance of 2026 on April 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers .

The left-hander also appeared in one Triple-A game with the Bisons, allowing one run in 3.2 innings in a start in Omaha.

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Voth, 33, also made just one appearance for Toronto. He allowed one run in 2.2 innings against the Chicago White Sox on April 5, and was designated for assignment the next day.

For Voth, the quick turnaround was enough to cause whiplash. He was with the White Sox for most of spring training until he was released from his minor league deal on March 20. The Blue Jays signed him five days later, assigned him to Buffalo to begin the season, and selected his contract on April 5.

Voth’s only big league appearance came that night — coincidentally, in Chicago. Now he will presumably look to latch on elsewhere for the 2026 season.

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Voth is 17-19 with a 4.69 ERA in 208 career games for the Washington Nationals (2018-22), Baltimore Orioles (2022-23) and Seattle Mariners (2024). He spent all of last season in Japan going 3-10 with a 3.88 ERA as a starter for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Fleming joined the Blue Jays on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training in February. He was touched for seven hits and three runs (all earned) in five Grapefruit League outings.

Still, he was summoned quickly from Buffalo to pitch against the Dodgers in a highly anticipated rematch between the 2025 World Series participants.

In six MLB seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2020-23), Pittsburgh Pirates (2024) and Blue Jays, Fleming is 20-14 with a 4.86 ERA. He spent all of 2025 in the Seattle Mariners’ system but didn’t make it out of the minors.