Andrew Albers recalled by Blue Jays from triple-A
Saskatchewan lefty made 10 starts for Twins in 2013
Andrew Albers will make it five Canadians on the Toronto Blue Jays' active roster in Friday night's game at Cleveland.
The 29-year-old left-hander from North Battleford has been recalled from triple-A Buffalo to join the Blue Jays bullpen which has logged many innings of late.
He'll be joined on the field by fellow Canadians Russell Martin, Michael Saunders and Dalton Pompey while Jeff Francis would join Albers in the bullpen after earning the win Thursday in Cleveland with 2 1/3 innings of relief work.
On April 25, the Blue Jays made history with three Canadian-born position players in the starting lineup against Tampa Bay: Catcher Martin and outfielders Pompey and Saunders.
The Montreal Expos twice in 1993 and the Minnesota Twins during the 2011 season had a pitcher and two position players from Canada in a starting lineup.
Albers signed a minor league deal with Toronto in December and was sent to triple-A Buffalo before the season. He posted a 1-3 record and 3.09 earned-run average in four starts with the Bisons, walking just six in 23 1/3 innings.
He returned to Canada this season after one year in the Korean Baseball Organization with the Hanwha Eagles, who declined Albers' option for 2015, making him a free agent. He went 6-13 with a 5.89 ERA for the Eagles.
Albers made 10 starts in the major leagues for the Minnesota Twins in 2013, going 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA. Despite setting a few team records, including eight-plus shutout innings in his major league debut and 17 1/3 shutout innings to start his MLB career, Albers wasn't in the team's plans following that season after it signed free-agent pitchers Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco.
Drafted by the Twins in the 10th round of the 2008 amateur draft, Albers signed with the team on March 10, 2011 after San Diego released him.
Albers is the eighth Saskatchewan native to play in the majors but the first in more than 20 years.
Toronto begins May with a 11-12 record and 2 ½ games behind the division-leading New York Yankees in the American League East.
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Carrasco slated to take the mound for Cleveland against Blue Jays lefty Mark Buehrle.