Blue Jays fire Bisons manager Ken Huckaby

Huckaby, the former Toronto Blue Jays catcher who was scheduled to manage the Herd in 2020 until the minor-league season was canceled, was fired by the parent club on Thursday. 

The Bisons had no comment and sources said the team was shocked to learn of the news. Huckaby has spent the last few weeks running Toronto's Alternate Training Site in Rochester. The camp closed on Monday and Huckaby came to Buffalo this week to visit with the Jays and the Buffalo front office.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo confirmed the decision when asked by The News during his pregame media briefing prior to Thursday's game against the New York Yankees at Sahlen Field.

"It's a difficult time all over baseball right now because of the pandemic. All over sports they're letting people go," Montoyo said. "It's a tough moment. He was good with me but that's all I can comment on it."

Many MLB teams have cut staff from the minor leagues to save money in the wake of Covid-19, but this move is a surprise because Huckaby revealed to The News last month he had signed a two-year contract -- a rarity for a Triple-A manager -- and fully expected to be the Bisons' manager in 2021. Huckaby did not return a voicemail message left on his cell phone Thursday.

Huckaby spent the previous three seasons as Toronto's roving catching instructor, often visiting Buffalo to work with the likes of current Toronto catchers Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire, before being named to the Bisons post in November. Huckaby was a popular member of the organization and became a social media phenom while serving as the plate umpire for Summer Camp intrasquad games in Rogers Centre in July.

According to a report by Sportsnet, Huckaby was released along with former Toronto pitchers Pat Hentgen and Paul Quantrill, who were serving the organization as special assistants. Hentgen, 51, debuted in the organization in 1986 at Class A St. Catharines (Ont.) of the New York-Penn League. He was the 1996 Cy Young Award winner and won 107 games with the Jays over two stints before retiring in 2004.

Huckaby, 48, had been an instructor and manager in the Blue Jays system since 2013. He twice served as manager, posting a 149-125 record and earning back-to-back playoff berths at Class A Lansing in 2015 and Class A Dunedin in 2016. 

Huckaby appeared in 88 games with the Blue Jays in 2002, and spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues with Toronto (2002-03, 2005). He also played for Texas, Baltimore and Boston in a six-year MLB career. He spent parts of 18 seasons in the minor leagues, playing in 886 Triple-A games between the International League and Pacific Coast League.

The minor leagues are full of uncertainty right now as negotiations continue for a new Professional Baseball Agreement between the minors and MLB. That agreement expires Sept. 30.

There is no schedule yet for the International League in 2021 and, in fact, speculation is rife that the league will be taken over by MLB as part of the new agreement. The minors are generally in limbo until they find out whether they will be able to have fans in the stands next season.