Toronto Blue Jays Anthony GoseThe Canadian Press
The Toronto Blue Jays have expanded their roster by two more players with the minor-league call-ups of outfielder Anthony Gose and pitcher Chad Beck.
The pair will both be in the lineup Tuesday night when the Blue Jays play the second game of their three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre.
Toronto manager John Farrell said that catcher J.P. Arencibia, sidelined since late July with a broken right hand, is also close to returning to the big league team.
The plan is to have Arencibia catch a couple of games in Dunedin and, if all goes well, he could join the team as early as Friday in Boston where Toronto will play a weekend series against the Red Sox.
Infielder David Cooper, who is recovering from a bad back, could also join the team at that stage.
Heading into Boston should be an interesting time for Farrell, whose name continues to be bandied about in the local media there as a potential candidate to become the new manager there once the inevitable firing of Bobby Valentine comes to fruition.
Farrell, the former Red Sox pitching coach who is under contract in Toronto for one more year, was asked how he plans to avoid making that a distraction.
"As I've said repeatedly when it has come up, my focus is clearly here with the Blue Jays," Farrell said. "I'm under contract, obviously. I can understand that there could be a natural connection because I've worked there in the past.
"But my focus and my commitment has been here and is here, unequivocally."