Blue Jays Acquire Former Top Prospect to Bolster Rotation
With a bruised and battered starting rotation, the Toronto Blue Jays have made a trade to re-acquire one of their former top prospects.
On Wednesday, just after the first pitch against the Atlanta Braves, the Jays announced that they had re-acquired pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson from the Minnesota Twins. Woods Richardson was designated for assignment by the Twins over the weekend, and after clearing waivers, the Jays stepped in and offered cash considerations back to Minnesota. The trade was first reported by The Athletic's Mitch Bannon via his X account.
The #BlueJays are acquiring Simeon Woods Richardson from the Minnesota Twins, sources tell The Athletic.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) June 3, 2026
The former Jays top prospect, sent to Minnesota in the José Berríos trade, is coming back. SWR was DFA'd by the Twins a few days ago
The Jays are in dire need of pitching help, with most of their Opening Day rotation currently on the Injured List. Veterans Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and Dylan Cease are all working through various stages of their respective rehab assignments, while Cody Ponce is out for the season with a torn ACL.
This will be Woods Richardson's second stint with the Jays. He was originally drafted by the New York Mets in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Before ever suiting up for the Mets, he was traded to the Jays along with current Chicago White Sox starter Anthony Kay for Marcus Stroman in 2019.
Similarly, Woods Richardson never pitched an inning for the Jays either. He was packaged with Austin Martin and sent to Minnesota in a deal that would bring starter Jose Berrios back to the Jays. In 61 career starts with the Twins, SWR posted a 12-17 record with a 4.76 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. In 2026, Woods Richardson led the majors with seven losses in his ten starts with the team, and had a bloated 7.74 ERA and 1.89 WHIP. He recorded 26 strikeouts and issued 25 walks in 47.2 innings of work.
The Blue Jays are acquiring Simeon Woods Richardson from the Twins, per @bnicholsonsmith and @ArdenZwelling.
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 4, 2026
Woods Richardson was DFA'd by Minnesota and was a part of the Jose Berríos trade in 2021. pic.twitter.com/9NeygUXhok
It is unclear what Woods Richardson's role will be with the Jays, but he should provide some depth until the regular rotation pitchers are back to full health. As of Wednesday evening, the team had yet to list probable starters for Thursday's finale against the Braves and Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM.