Prepare for a Canadian invasion when the Dodgers host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

New Dodgers third baseman Jamie Romak waited almost 11 years from the time he was drafted until the time he was added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster Wednesday. A veteran of 1,069 minor-league games, Romak joined the Dodgers on Wednesday as Carl Crawford was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left ankle.

After such a long wait to reach the major leagues, what’s a little flight from London, Ontario, Canada to Los Angeles for Romak’s wife? Or his mom, sister, brother and friends?

“Once it sunk in it was really emotional,” the 28-year-old said. “I called my wife, my mom and she started crying. I started tearing up. Everything you wish it would be.”

Romak was batting .272/.354/.578 for Triple-A Albuquerque with 13 home runs, second on the club to outfielder Joc Pederson. He has a .250/.325/.463 slash line since he first reached Triple-A with the Kansas City Royals organization in 2012.

Since he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, Romak has spent time in the Braves, Pirates, Royals and Cardinals organizations. He signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers last November. A turning point in his career, he said, was playing winter ball the past two seasons. Romak batted .250/.358/.394 for La Guaira of the Venezuelan League this past winter.

“It was such a competitive environment,” he said. “It helped me so much in so many ways that I’m so happy that the time I spent away from my wife and family and friends in a really uncomfortable environment feels like it’s all worth it right now.”

Romak said he didn’t harbor thoughts of quitting during his minor-league journey.

“I took the other route,” he said. “Every time I got passed over I took it personally and tried to improve my game.”

Romak said he played some hockey growing up in London, a hockey hotbed. He played both baseball and hockey into his early teens with Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter.

“He had a long swing, a lot of holes, a little power, but he was so good at hockey,” Romak said of Carter. “He stood out.”