6 Anthony Alford CF

Alford underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his fractured right elbow and will be a full participant in spring training, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Alford hit .214 with two home runs, three steals and an 8:1 K:BB in 28 MLB at-bats prior to suffering the fracture. His two home runs came over his final eight games. The Pirates have a somewhat unsettled outfield depth chart heading into 2021, so while Alford will have a chance to earn playing time, he will be competing with a host of other hungry young players, some of whom have not yet debuted, like Jared Oliva and Travis Swaggerty.

The Pirates placed Alford on the 45-day injured list with a fractured right elbow.

Alford attempted to rob a home run in Saturday's contest and hurt his elbow after slamming into the wall. While already diagnosed, this move officially ends Alford's season. He had gotten fairly regular at-bats since joining Pittsburgh on Tuesday and had collected three hits while slugging one home run and driving in four.

The Pirates announced that Alford suffered a fractured right elbow in Saturday's game against the Reds.

Alford made a valiant effort to rob a would-be home run, but it's a play that will almost certainly bring his season to a close just as he started seeing regular playing time for the Pirates.

Alford left Saturday's game against the Reds in the top of the third inning with an apparent right arm injury, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Alford attempted to haul in a Tucker Barnhart home run in center field, but he crashed into the wall and was unable to continue. Alford's status will be updated further when more details are available.

Alford will bat seventh and play center field Thursday afternoon against the Cubs.

The Pirates will give him another go after the waiver-wire pickup crushed a home run Wednesday. Alford has a golden opportunity for a fresh start with Pittsburgh, especially with former Toronto executive Ben Cherington now serving as the Pirates' general manager.

Alford went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Cubs.

Alford got his first start in a Pirates uniform and delivered a solo home run in the seventh inning off Ryan Tepera. Once a top prospect, Alford is still fighting for a role with his new club and is currently penciled into a depth role in the outfield.

Alford was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Thursday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Alford, once a top prospect, has struggled during his limited big-league opportunities, hitting .155 with a 40 percent strikeout rate across parts of four seasons (46 games). If he ever gets a chance at more consistent playing time with his new team, the outfielder could prove to be a fantasy asset thanks to his speed.

Alford was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Thursday.

Alford has seen inconsistent time in the majors over the past four seasons and has only logged 75 plate appearances at the top level during that time. He's never been able to get things going with a .155/.200/.254 slash line and a 40 percent strikeout rate. He demonstrated some speed this season with three stolen bases over 13 games, but he'll now be removed from Toronto's 40-man roster. Given his lackluster results in the majors, it's unclear whether he'll find a new home via waivers.

Alford went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 7-5 loss to Tampa Bay.

Alford took advantage of his rare appearance in the starting lineup with a fourth-inning homer. The 26-year-old has just two hits but three stolen bases this season.

Alford entered Friday's loss to the Red Sox as a pinch runner for Rowdy Tellez in the eighth inning and stole two bases.

With Boston clinging to a one-run lead at the time, Alford swapped in for Tellez after the latter drew a one-out walk and immediately put himself in scoring position by stealing second, then swiped third as well after Vladimir Guerrero also earned a free pass off Matt Barnes. However, the rally ended when Randal Grichuk grounded into a double play. Alford has only seven plate appearances in his seven games this season, but he's made the most of his opportunities with three steals in three attempts. If the 26-year-old ever gets a chance at more consistent playing time, he could prove to be a fantasy asset.

Alford got the start in left field Tuesday and went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Lourdes Gurriel was rotating through the DH spot, opening up left field for Alford, and the 26-year-old responded with his first hit and RBI of the year. He's appeared in five games so far but only has four at-bats, primarily being used as a pinch runner or defensive replacement, and barring a rash of injuries to the Jays' outfield, Alford's unlikely to work his way into a more prominent role.

Alord may have a difficult time making the big-league roster this season, Andrew Stoeten of The Athletic reports.

Alford is out of options, but that doesn't guarantee him a spot. The 25-year-old owns a .145/.203/.218 slash line in 59 big-league plate appearances to date and hit just .167/.167/.250 over 24 plate appearances in Grapefruit league action. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Randal Grichuk, Derek Fisher and Teoscar Hernandez all appear to have locked-down places on the big-league roster, with Jonathan Davis and Billy McKinney also in the mix for the fifth outfielder spot, should the Blue Jays elect to carry five outfielders.

Alford stole three bases -- one of which resulted in the eventual winning run -- in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

The 25-year-old is out of minor-league options, so it's either head north with the big-league club or head to the waiver wire for Alford this spring. He's making his case early with his legs, but the outfielder will also need to prove he can handle himself defensively in all three spots and contribute a little with his bat if he's going to win a spot on the Jays' bench. The most important thing for Alford this spring might be to just stay healthy, however -- he played only 96 games last year between the minors and majors, and he's never played more than 125 in any season in his career.

Alford is out of options heading into this season and will be playing at all three outfield positions in order to test his versatility, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "I'm looking forward to seeing Anthony Alford," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "He's going to play a lot, let's see what he's got. He had a good offseason working on his hitting."

Alford has struggled at the plate every time he's gotten a sliver of a chance at the big-league level, including a .179/.233/.286 line in 30 plate appearances last season. He hasn't exactly been banging down the door in Triple-A, either, hitting .259/.343/.411 in Triple-A Buffalo last year. He's competing with Billy McKinney and Derek Fisher, who is also out of options, for the final outfield slot.

Alford went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a stolen base and an additional run Monday in the Blue Jays' 11-10 win over the Orioles in 15 innings.

Alford didn't enter the contest until the bottom of the ninth inning, but he certainly made his presence felt both at the plate and on the bases. He collected his first stolen base of the season after reaching on an infield single in the bottom of the 13th, then walked off the Orioles with a two-out blast in the 15th for his first big-league homer. With Toronto ruling out Lourdes Gurriel (appendectomy) for the season earlier Monday, Alford could see a decent number of at-bats during the team's final five contests.

Alford was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.

Alford has received big-league at-bats in each of the last three seasons but has just 32 plate appearances overall. He was mediocre in 76 games for Buffalo this season, posting a 95 wRC+ while battling multiple injuries.

Alford (groin) is starting at DH and hitting fifth for Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Alford wound up spending 10 days on the minor-league injured list with a right goin injury. The outfielder will look to pick up where he left off prior to getting hurt, as he compiled a .359/.419/.641 slash line with two home runs and three steals in 10 games before landing on the IL. Alford could join the Blue Jays when roster expand in September if he's able to prove his health in the minors.

Triple-A Buffalo placed Alford on its 7-day injured list Saturday with an unspecified injury, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Alford had just rejoined the Buffalo roster on Aug. 7 after an oblique injury had kept him out of commission for nearly six weeks. It's not known if his latest health setback is related to the oblique, but Alford's injury might hurt his chances of joining the Blue Jays when big-league rosters expand in September. Forrest Wall was promoted from Double-A New Hampshire to take Alford's spot on the Buffalo roster.

Alford (oblique) wrapped up his rehab assignment with the Blue Jays' rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate earlier this week and has been transferred back to Triple-A Buffalo, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Alford is still listed on Buffalo's 7-day injured list, so it's possible that he's merely being evaluated before the next step in his rehab program is decided rather than being reinstated to the Triple-A roster. The outfielder, who has been on the shelf since late June with an oblique injury, went 5-for-13 with four extra-base hits during his four-game stint in the Gulf Coast League.

Alford is going through a hitting program as he works his way back from an oblique injury, Alexis Brudnicki of MLB.com reports.

Alford has been on the injured list with Triple-A Buffalo since late June. He's played in just a single game for the Blue Jays this season and owns an unremarkable .256/.340/.405 slash line in 62 games for Buffalo.