Buffalo, New York – The Toronto Blue Jays have announced the Minor League contracts of RHP Paolo Espino and C. Payne Henry, along with their invitations to Major League Spring Training.

Espino pitched in the Major Leagues for the fourth consecutive season last season, this time with the Washington Nationals organization. The right-hander split time the previous two seasons between the Nationals starting rotation and the bullpen, making 19 starts in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

In 2023, the 36-year-old made 13 starts for the Bisons’ nearest rival, the Rochester Red Wings. For the Red Wings, Espino made 13 starts in all, two of which were against Buffalo. On July 9, in a loss to the Herd, he pitched 6.0 innings for Rochester at Innovative Field in his last Triple-A appearance of 2023.

The Cleveland Indians originally selected Espino in the tenth round of the 2006 MLB Draft. In 2017, the right-hander made six appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers, his first Major League squad. He played with the Texas Rangers for a while as well. The veteran has played in portions of five MLB seasons, totaling 94 appearances.

In addition, he has participated in 154 Triple-A games and made 120 career starts. In Triple-A, Espino has a 46-42 career record that includes two complete games.

Henry joins the Blue Jays after playing for Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds, in the 2023 season. He was traded to the Miami Marlins in 2021 in exchange for RHP John Curtiss. He was initially selected by the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

On September 17, 2021, the 26-year-old made his Major League Baseball debut for the Marlins against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He doubled off RHP Wil Crowe in the fifth inning of the game to record his first-ever Major League hit. Throughout his MLB career, Henry has made 20 appearances, all with Miami in 2021 and 2022.

After spending a season with the Sounds, Henry rejoined the Brewers organization and appeared in 65 games. In May, he batted.378 (17-45) with five multi-hit outings, including three consecutive games in which he recorded multiple hits in the opening half of the month. The backstop finished the season with an overall batting average of.294 with nine home runs and thirty RBIs. He also hit.300 (9-30) in September.