Derick Hingle- US Presswire
Toronto Blue Jays‘ Andy LaRoche is playing in his first major league game in over two years today, and he’ll start at third-base for the surging Jays.
LaRoche was called up from the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday, where he is having a solid season. At the time of his call up he was batting .282 with seven home runs and 32 RBI in 49 games with the Bisons this year. Since his last start in the majors two years ago with Oakland Athletics, LaRoche has bounced around the minors with stints in Columbus and Pawtucket before finding a home in with Buffalo in January.
The Jays called him up to be a utility man, which is what he has really been his whole career in the majors. On Sunday against the Texas Rangers, he made a start at third base where he played pretty well in the field but struggled to find his timing at the plate.
On an interesting note, in the 18 inning game yesterday, manager John Gibbons was about to put LaRoche in to pitch if the game went any longer. LaRoche has a 2-0 record on the mound, with both appearances coming in extra-inning games, and he was ready to try and make it 3-0 if he was given the chance.
It should be interesting to see how long LaRoche stays up with the big club, but whether it’s a couple of games or the rest of the season, it’s a great story for him. To top his return to the majors off, his batting music today was Juke Box Hero by Foreigner.
Follow Blue Jays Writer Robert Johnson on Twitter: @robert337733
