Philadelphia Phillies

Blue Jays sign OF Saunders to minor league deal

Published Jun. 28, 2017 5:58 p.m. ET

TORONTO (AP) The Toronto Blue Jays signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league contract Wednesday and assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo.

The Canadian-born Saunders won the Final Vote competition for an AL All-Star berth with Blue Jays last season but tailed off in the second half, hitting .178 with eight homers and 15 RBIs. He finished with career-bests of 24 homers and 32 doubles in 140 games.

Saunders signed a one-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia in January but was let go by the last-place Phillies after batting .205 with six homers and 20 RBIs in 61 games.

A nine-year veteran, Saunders broke in with Seatle in 2009 and was traded to Toronto before the 2015 season for current teammate left-hander J.A. Happ. Saunders missed most of the 2015 season after he injured his left knee stepping on a sprinkler head in spring training.