Chicago, IL – The Toronto Blue Jays officially signed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang on Tuesday, four days after the Taiwanese right-hander opted out of his minor league contract with the New York Yankees.
Wang will take the mound for his new team when the Blue Jays take on the Chicago White Sox Tuesday at U.S. Cellular Field.
The 33-year-old, who won 19 games for the Yankees in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007 before having his career derailed by injuries, was pitching well for New York's Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes Barre. In nine starts for the RailRiders, Wang posted a 4-4 record with a 2.33 earned run average.
Wang returned to the Yankees in March on a minor league contract that allowed him to declare for free agency at the end of April, and he exercised that option this past Friday.
The veteran hurler owns a 61-32 career record in the majors, but has won just seven times since 2009. Wang spent the past two seasons with the Washington Nationals and went 2-3 with a 6.68 ERA in 10 games, including five starts.
To make room for Wang on the active roster, the Blue Jays designated infielder Andy LaRoche for assignment.
Toronto also announced that catcher Henry Blanco has been released from the organization. The Jays designated the 41-year-old for assignment last week after he hit just .184 in 38 at-bats.
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