Richard has been assigned to the team's alternate training site in Schaumburg for now, but he could get the call to Chicago at some point. The 36-year-old left-hander registered a poor 5.96 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 22/18 K/BB ratio in 45 1/3 innings (10 starts) last season with the Blue Jays.

Richard, who has been sidelined since mid-July with a lat injury, hasn't appeared in a game since returning from the injured list at the beginning of September. According to Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan, the veteran southpaw threw a simulated game at the team's spring training facilities Thursday before the Blue Jays decided to part ways with him to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for Elvis Luciano (elbow).

Richard has been out of action since mid-July. He's only made one rehab appearance, allowing three runs over two innings, so it's not clear that he's ready to handle a starter's workload just yet.

Richard covered 47 pitches in the outing, his first at any level since July 13. The Blue Jays may want Richard to up his pitch count in another simulated game or minor-league rehab start before the team considers reinstating him from the 10-day injured list. Once activated, Richard could help plug a hole in a Blue Jays rotation that currently has only three traditional starters.