Toronto placed Shannon Stewart on the DL retroactive to May 1st on Wednesday. Stewart's hamstrings began bothering him following the Jays' first game back on the Skydome turf after an extended road trip.

The Blue Jays have not announced a timetable for Stewart's return. He should be eligible to come off the DL May 15th. However while they'll likely want to activate him as soon as possible, mid-May marks the start of a month in which they play only 6 games away from the Toronto turf that has caused most of Stewart's leg problems.

Toronto called up Brian Lesher to replace Stewart on the roster. Lesher has bounced between AAA and the majors for the last 7 seasons for a variety of clubs while spending the majority of his time in AAA. Other than in 1994 at A+ Modesto in the California League, he has never really displayed good plate discipline, though on occasion it has been acceptable and he provides some power. The 30-year-old will serve as a 4th outfielder for the Blue Jays.

Darren Fletcher also joined the DL with Stewart on Wednesday. He reportedly injured his right ankle getting into a cab. The Blue Jays have not indicated how long they expect Fletcher to be sidelined with the sprain.

Toronto added Ken Huckaby from AAA Syracuse to replace Fletcher on the roster. Aside from some time in AA and a brief call-up with the Diamondbacks last season, Huckaby has spent the last 7 years in AAA. He lacks any offensive skills and is purely a defensive catcher promoted to back up Tom Wilson while Fletcher is disabled.

Pitcher Bob File was placed on the DL April 27th. File strained an oblique muscle in his right side late in Spring Training. He started the season on the disabled list but was activated in mid-April. However, he didn't appear recovered from the injury. File made 5 appearances during the time he was active, pitching 3.1 innings with a 2:2 K:BB and allowing 8 hits. Considering he hasn't pitched since April 23rd, he should be eligible to return Saturday. I suspect now that he's had the additional time to rest, Toronto will attempt to activate him again as they could really use the help in the pen.

Reliever Scott Cassidy has been demoted twice and recalled twice. He broke camp with the team due to File's first DL trip. As previously discussed, the 26-year-old Cassidy is a rookie with starting potential. After splitting last season between AA Tennessee in the Southern League and AAA Syracuse in the International League, he would still likely benefit from another half season in AAA. However, he may also gain the experience he needs pitching out of the bullpen this year. I just hope he has the opportunity to stay at one level for an extended period of time at some point this season. The Blue Jays could hinder his development if continue to promote and demote Cassidy whenever they need an extra righty in the bullpen for a week or two.

As with most rookies, I went to check what John Sickels had to say about Cassidy in the STATS, Inc. 2002 Minor League Scouting Notebook, and having read his comments, I feel compelled to share them with you.

"Deep in the heart of the Amazon, evil baseball scientists have constructed a secret underground laboratory. Their mission: to graft the head of an intelligent, thoughtful pitcher who lacks great stuff onto the body of a fireballing nincompoop. These evil baseball scientists have Scott Cassidy on the short list of intelligent, thoughtful pitchers to kidnap and use as part of their experiments. His fastball is below average, but he has tremendous feel for pitching and has proven he can handle any level of the minor leagues. He may or may not get a chance in the majors. If these scientists succeed in grafting his head onto the body of someone like Chad Hutchinson, you'd have a tremendous prospect. Until that happens, the best we can give Mr. Cassidy is a Grade C.

The Blue Jays called up Justin Miller to replace File on the roster. Toronto acquired Miller with Eric Hinske in the Billy Koch trade this off-season, and previously promoted him the last time they demoted Cassidy. He worked exclusively out of the bullpen during his first call-up, making three appearances and allowing 8 H with a 2:5 K:BB in 5 IP.

He's occasionally working out of the rotation during this call-up and has two starts. The first lasted only 3.2 innings in which he allowed 4 H while striking out 2 and walking 3. The second start went much better as he only allowed 4 H in 7 innings, though he only struck out one while walking two. Whether he remains in the rotation likely depends on the effectiveness and health of the rest of the Blue Jays' starters. Toronto has suffered from both injury and ineffectiveness this year.

They recently picked up Pete Walker off waivers from the Mets in order to add a multi-inning reliever to their pen for when the starters struggle. The 33-year-old hasn't spent much time in the majors, but his skills are generally solid aside from a weak strikeout rate. He's worked as a reliever for most of his career, but he normally pitches 1+ innings and he started at AAA for the Mets last season, so he should have the endurance necessary for the role.

Last but not least among the Blue Jays' recent transactions, Toronto designated Homer Bush for assignment. The team probably should have stuck with him until 2B prospect Orlando Hudson is ready to join the big league club. However, Hudson is blowing through AAA right now with an 11:14 BB:K and 42 H, including 6 doubles, a triple, and 4 HR, in 128 AB for a .328 BA, .381 OBP, and .484 SLG, so the Jays may be planning to promote him soon. In the meantime, Joe Lawrence and Dave Berg will cover second.

So far this year, Bush had only managed a 2:12 BB:K and 18 H in 78 AB. The 29-year-old's never displayed good plate discipline or promising power, and his speed seems to have deteriorated in the last few years. With a $3.325M contract, he's unlikely to be picked off waivers, so he will have to decide whether to accept a minor league assignment or become a free agent.