Kivlehan, Zeuch among 10 assigned to Blue Jays minor league camp

The Toronto Blue Jays trimmed their Major League spring roster by 10 players on Tuesday afternoon with a pair of 2019 Bisons being sent to the minor league side of camp. Reigning Bisons home run leader infielder Patrick Kivlehan was reassigned while RHP T.J. Zeuch was optioned by the big league club.

RHP Patrick Murphy was also among those players optioned on Tuesday that included RHP Thomas Hatch, RHP Elvis Luciano, RHP Julian Merryweather and RHP Hector Perez. Catcher Alejandro Kirk and infielders Nash Knight and Logan Warmoth were also reassigned.

Kivlehan hit 25 home runs with the Herd after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in April last season. He appeared in 13 Spring Training games with the Blue Jays this year, collecting four hits and four RBI in his time with Toronto. All of Kivlehan’s appearances this spring have come at first base, a position he split time at with Buffalo last year. The 30-year-old re-signed with the Blue Jays in November to a Minor League deal, with an invitation to Spring Training.

Zeuch spent September in the big leagues, making five total appearances and three starts for Toronto. This spring the right hander has had three relief outings with the Blue Jays totaling 4.1 innings pitched. Last season, Zeuch became the first Bisons pitcher in more than two decades to throw a no-hitter when he downed the Rochester Red Wings 3-0 on August 19th. He finished the Triple-A season with a 4-3 record and 3.69 ERA over 13 starts.

Murphy made two Spring Training relief appearances for the Blue Jays this year, the second straight season he has appeared in a game for the team in the Grapefruit League. The right hander made his New Hampshire Fisher Cats debut in 2018 and followed it up with 18 starts in the Eastern League last season. Murphy racked up 86 strikeouts over 84.0 innings pitched in Double-A.