TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays need help for their heavily used bullpen and Paul Sewald, the veteran reliever recently designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks, will try to provide some. Claimed on waivers Wednesday afternoon, the 36-year-old former closer is expected to join the team Thursday and likely to be active Friday, giving manager John Schneider another option with late-game experience to sift through.

It’s a potentially opportunistic and timely add, since the Blue Jays didn’t backfill with a now piece for Jeff Hoffman the way they did for Kevin Gausman, with Jose Soriano, and for Daulton Varsho, with Brett Bateman and Josh Smith, during their hybrid deadline. Hoffman’s absence has been particularly notable throughout the week-and-a-half of near constant leverage work for the relievers since the Aug. 3 cutoff, and as........

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