The Toronto Blue Jays have taken advantage of Major League Baseball's expanded rosters for September and recalled five players from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

Rookie outfielder Dalton Pompey, fan favourite infielder Munenori Kawasaki and a trio of pitchers, lefties Aaron Loup and Jeff Francis, as well as Ryan Tepera will join the team in Toronto on Tuesday where the American League East leaders continue a three-game set with the Cleveland Indians. Because Vancouver's Francis was not on the Jays' 40-man roster, left-handed pitcher Colt Hynes was designated for assignment.

Pompey, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, began the season as the Jays' centre fielder, but struggled in the spring and was demoted in early May. In 23 games with the Jays prior to the demotion, Pompey hit .193 with a pair of home runs and six RBI.

The 27-year-old Loup was sent down on August 26 after a string of disappointing performances and a 5.20 ERA. He's 2-5 in 48 appearances with the Jays this season.

Francis and Tepera have also spent time with the big club this season. The 34-year-old Francis has appeared in eight games for the Jays and posted a 1-2 record with an ERA of 6.75 and a 1.750 WHIP in 12 innings pitched. Tepera, 27, has an 0-1 record in 27 appearances this season with a 2.28 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched.

The popular Kawasaki has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Jays, featuring in a career-high 96 games two seasons ago. The native of Kagoshima, Japan has appeared in 14 games for the Jays this year, batting .167 with three hits and an RBI.

Catcher Josh Thole is expected to be called upon on Wednesday. The team made the unusual move of demoting Thole, the personal catcher of knuckleballer RA Dickey, to the Single-A Bluefield (Virginia) Blue Jays on Friday, rather than to Buffalo, but the transaction was done for a specific reason. Major League rules prevent a team from recalling an optioned player any sooner than 10 days after the demotion. Because Bluefield's season ends on Tuesday (whereas the Bisons play until September 7), Thole is eligible to return to the Jays in time for Dickey's next start on Wednesday night.