TORONTO -- The Blue Jays claimed shortstop Ray Olmedo off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on Friday and added him to their 40-man roster. To make room on the roster for Olmedo, Toronto designated infielder Ryan Roberts for assigment.

Olmedo spent most of last season with the Triple-A Louisville Bats in the Reds' farm system. In 100 games with the Bats, the switch-hitter posted a .282 average with three home runs and 29 RBIs.

The 25-year-old Olmedo also appeared in 30 games for the Reds, hitting .205 with one homer and four RBIs. Olmedo, who is a native of Venezuela, has hit .230 over 171 career games in the Majors. He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Cincinnati in 1999.

Roberts, 26, appeared in nine games for the Blue Jays last season, but managed just one hit -- a solo home run at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 3 -- in 13 at-bats. In 98 games with Triple-A Syracuse last year, Roberts hit .273 with 10 homers and 49 RBIs.

Infielder Rob Cosby, who was designated for assignment on Jan. 9, was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse.