The Blue Jays announced that they’ve placed right-hander Marcus Stroman on the 10-day disabled list due to right shoulder fatigue. In addition, left-handed reliever Tim Mayza has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. The Jays recalled right-handers Joe Biagini and Sam Gaviglio from Buffalo to fill the spots on the active roster. Stroman’s DL placement is retroactive to May 9.
The 27-year-old Stroman has had a disastrous start to his 2018 season, pitching to a 7.71 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and 1.21 HR/9 in 37 1/3 innings (seven starts). He still ranks among the league leaders in ground-ball rate, at 60.5 percent, but virtually all of Stroman’s numbers have gone in the wrong direction, including his fastball velocity (93.4 mph in 2017, 92.2 mph in 2018). Either Biagini or Gaviglio, each of whom has been working in the Buffalo rotation, will start in Stroman’s place this weekend, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
It remains unclear exactly how long Stroman can be expected to be sidelined. Toronto’s announcement didn’t come with any sort of timetable, nor did it include a specific injury or indicate that any further testing, such as an MRI, is on the horizon. Stroman is slated to meet with the Toronto media at 2:45pm ET, the Jays announced.
Turning to his potential replacements, Biagini enjoyed a terrific rookie season as a Rule 5 pick in 2016, tossing 67 2/3 innings of relief with a 3.06 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent grounder rate. He faltered considerably in a starting capacity last season, though, and hasn’t fared particularly well in the Triple-A rotation this year, either (4.57 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings).
Gaviglio, meanwhile, was acquired from the Royals in March in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. The 27-year-old got his first look in the Majors last season when he struggled through 74 1/3 innings between Seattle and Kansas City. He’s off to a terrific start in Triple-A, however, where he’s notched a pristine 1.86 ERA with 9.0 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, 1.24 HR/9 and a 45.9 percent ground-ball rate in 29 innings of work.
Retroactive to April 9? Unless the Jays are gaming the system, I’m pretty sure you mean May 9 lol
It’d be a bold attempt by them! Ha.
Yes, I did mean May 9. Thank you.
in Steve’s defence, he’s actually been hurt since March 09
I hope they don’t use Biagini out of the rotation. He’s proved he’s much better out of the pen, and I don’t know why they don’t just leave him there.
Yes they are kind of gaming the system. Biagini could not be called up because he has not been down in the minors for 10 days. The only exception to the rule is if he is replacing someone who is injured. Stroman has to be injured to make it work.
Unfortunately, sucking is not considered an injury.
Same way Grichuk supposedly has an injury aha
Stroman’s gynecologist justified the DL move.
uncalled for
Triggered…
You NL non-DH people are dead wrong. The game didn’t change when the DH was introduced, it changed when pitchers stopped practicing and caring about hitting. The DH just recognizes that reality. Also the managerial strategy thing is garbage. Oh double switch so brilliant. In the AL a manager has to really know when it’s time to take out a pitcher, the decision isn’t made for him by the score and when the useless pitcher is coming to bat.
Context is a beautiful thing…
Out of context, but true.
How did you turn this into a DH discussion? maybe you misread. Stromal was placed on the DL, not at DH.
But it’s true.
Yes. But PriceWasRight was right.
It’s all good, you can still watch your 11-7 AL games…
Let the people who like a run to mean something enjoy what’s left of NL baseball before it’s all just TTO.
Oh, and…
“In the AL a manager has to really know when it’s time to take out a pitcher, the decision isn’t made for him by the score and when the useless pitcher is coming to bat.”
You mean in the AL, the manager gets to make an easy choice of a more favorable match up with no real sacrifice or consequence to consider?
Take the arm/elbow guards off the hitters and we’d start to see the separation between the haves and have nots, quicker games, lower scores, less Tommy Johns. I’d rather see great pitching duels than high scoring any day of the week.
Before the DH, not many pitchers could crack 90mph and ones that did were considered pretty good for the most part. Pitchers for the most part ABLE to throw at hitters and NOBODY wore that body armor you mentioned. There was NO batting gloves and that includes for pitchers.
it was a 100% different game and i get tired of this argument being brought up by people am pretty sure don’t even remember how the game was played in 1973 and earlier…
So what’s your point?
Arm guards give hitters a boost in plate coverage (by getting closer) and self confidence. I’m sure many pitchers today go 100% a lot more with their fastball than they did 25 years ago. Being closer to the plate takes less fear away from the hitter. Less hitters today buckle on the curve and slider. Players still buckle, but much less so. Being closer allows the hitter a chance on those breaking pitches. That is why today’s game has become more fastball/change up heavy. Arm guards have also helped eliminate the outside corner pitch that used to be the go-to, for the most part, to get hitters out.
A lot of people disagree with my previous comment. You’re entitled. It is interesting that Tommy John surgeries have been on the rise since the 1994 strike where we began to see arm guards becoming more prevalent.
MLB will never do it due to safety and the millions of dollars on the line with companies like Evoshield. Too much money on the line to help pitchers.
Hardly anybody watches as is.
Of course there are things to consider just think before you write. Like is your bullpen guy really better than the starter in his current state, how rested is your bullpen, etc. In the NL the batting order and the score make the decision much less about gauging your starters pitchers ability. And again, the game didn’t change when the DH was introduced but much earlier when teams decided to stop caring about whether their pitchers could hit or not.
Toronto needs to make the right call and let biagini be a reliever again instead of a middling depth Starting pitcher. I realize they have zero starting pitching depth outside of their starting 5 but biagini could be a legitimate asset out of the bullpen.
IMHO the reason that the DH should be abolished is simply that it does not provide what everyone seems to think it does, appreciably more offense. I only went back to 2014 but since that time the AL averaged 0.2 more runs per game. In other words, for the privilege of watching one-dimensional players who perhaps would otherwise not be in MLB, we are treated to 1 additional run every 5th game. No thank you.
I’d like to see the DH abolished too, and just have MLB change to a 26-man roster.