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Blue Jays Notes: Ryu, Hernandez, Borucki

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The Blue Jays currently have seven players on the injured list and Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic provides updates on each of them. (Twitter links) Hyun Jin Ryu will make a rehab start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons this Saturday as he begins to work his way back to the mound. He was only able to make two starts this year before elbow inflammation landed him on the injured list.

The rotation has fared well in his absence, with Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah and Jose Berrios providing excellent innings at the front end. Berrios had a disastrous start in the season opener where he allowed four earned runs and only recorded a single out. However, he’s been able to correct course since then, recording a 2.66 ERA over his next four appearances. Manoah’s ERA is sitting at 1.44 on the year while Gausman’s is at 2.27, the latter not allowing a walk yet in 31 2/3 innings.

Ross Stripling has also carried himself well so far this year, putting up an ERA of 3.79, starting the year as the bullpen’s long man and then stepping up to take over Ryu’s starts in recent weeks. Yusei Kikuchi has been the weakest link so far, with a 5.52 ERA in four starts, including an alarming 18.1% walk rate. Ryu began his Blue Jays tenure with an excellent showing in 2020, logging a 2.69 ERA and 26.2% strikeout rate in the shortened campaign. He couldn’t quite sustain that into 2021, though, with his ERA swelling to 4.37 and his strikeout rate dimming to 20.4%.

Also going on a rehab assignment is outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who landed on the IL after just six games this year due to an oblique strain. Somewhat overshadowed in the hype surrounding youngsters like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, Hernandez has somewhat quietly emerged as an excellent hitter over the past few years. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, he’s hit .295/.347/.538, with his 136 wRC+ in that time ranking him 15th among qualified hitters, just ahead of guys like Matt Olson and Mookie Betts. His absence has opened up more playing time for Bradley Zimmer, who’s slashing .067/.125/.167 on the year. The return of Teoscar will unquestionably give a boost to the lineup.

Reliever Ryan Borucki is also making his way back, as he is set to throw live batting practice soon. The southpaw began the season on the injured list with a hamstring strain, before returning to the club and making a pair of scoreless appearances. However, he then went back on the IL with a blister. After transitioning from the rotation to the bullpen, Borucki seemed to emerge as a weapon in 2020. In 16 2/3 innings on the shortened season, he logged a 2.70 ERA with a 28.8% strikeout rate, though with a concerning 16.4% walk rate. He reduced that to 11.2% in 2021 but also saw his strikeouts dip to 21.4% and his ERA jump to 4.94. Now out of options, the 28-year-old will have to produce to hold onto his spot on the team. Rosters were just shrunk today, going from 28 to 26, along with a 14-pitcher limit that lasts until May 29, with the limit squeezing to 13 after that.

Blue Jays Place Hyun Jin Ryu On 10-Day IL, Reinstate Ryan Borucki

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The Blue Jays announced that they have placed Hyun Jin Ryu on the 10-day injured list with left forearm inflammation. Left-hander Ryan Borucki, who started the year on the IL with a hamstring strain, will swap places with Ryu and take his roster spot.

Ryu started yesterday’s game for the Jays but managed only 53 pitches with diminished velocity, an indication that something was likely amiss. No timeline has been given for Ryu’s absence, but any arm injury for a pitcher is concerning. The southpaw had just begun the third season of the four-year deal he signed to join the Blue Jays prior to the 2020 campaign. At the time, the club was coming off a few lousy seasons, but had seen the debuts of prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio, heralding the beginning of a new competitive window.

Ryu was coming off an elite 2019 season with the Dodgers that saw him throw 182 2/3 innings of 2.32 ERA ball. However, there were reasons for concern, as he’d struggled to stay on the mound over the previous four seasons. He stayed healthy in the shortened 2020 season, making 12 starts with a 2.69 ERA, helping the Jays reach the expanded postseason. Last year, he made two brief trips to the IL and managed to log 169 innings, though his ERA ticked up to 4.37 and his strikeout rate fell to 20.4%, his lowest such rate in years.

Although he may have been passed by the likes of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah, Ryu was still pencilled as a regular member of the Jays’ rotation. With him now being shelved for an undetermined amount of time, Ross Stripling will step into his spot, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Stripling made a spot start on Friday and threw four scoreless innings against the Athletics, throwing 62 pitches in the process.

As for Borucki, he will add a fresh arm to the team’s bullpen. After switching from starting to relieving in 2020, the lefty had an excellent showing in the 2020 campaign. He threw 16 2/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, though a concerning 16.4% walk rate. In 2021, he got the walks down to 11.2%, but also saw his strikeout rate fall to 21.4% and ERA jump up to 4.94. The 28-year-old is out of options and will need to stick on the roster or else lose his spot. The current 28-man rosters will shrink to 26 after May 1st.

Injury Notes: Pollock, La Stella, Sanchez, Borucki, Pearson

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A.J. Pollock left today’s game with what the White Sox announced as right hamstring tightness.  Pollock had just singled, but seemed to tweak his hamstring while making the turn around first base, and had to be replaced for a pinch-runner.  While Pollock’s lengthy injury history (including a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for over two weeks last September) gives particular concern to any new issues, Pollock told The Athletic’s James Fegan and other reporters after the game that today’s injury wasn’t nearly as severe as last season’s hamstring problem.

As it happens, Pollock was already set to miss some time.  The outfielder and his wife are expecting their second child, and Pollock was scheduled to go on paternity leave tomorrow.  He’ll use the absence to rest his hamstring and hopefully avoid become the latest White Sox player to hit the injured list.  Garrett Crochet has been lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, while the 10-day IL features Lance Lynn, Yoan Moncada, Joe Kelly, Yermin Mercedes, and Ryan Burr, plus Lucas Giolito is now also set to miss at least his next two starts.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • There is “no set in stone timeline at this point” for when Tommy La Stella might return from the injured list, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters.  La Stella underwent Achilles surgery in October and is still feeling some soreness, though he told media that doctors have said this isn’t unusual.  Despite the lack of clarity, the Giants did consider using La Stella as a DH to begin the season, so it would seem like he is relatively close to playing.  “It was just one of those things where we wanted to make sure that we weren’t sacrificing the long-term success in this process for short-term gains now and make sure I’m set up to be good to go for the rest of the season,” La Stella said.
  • Anibal Sanchez could miss his scheduled start Monday, as the Nationals right-hander has been dealing with neck soreness.  The Nats already pushed Sanchez’s start back to give him time to heal, but as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, the club now may need to turn to either the bullpen, or possibly a minor league call-up like Josh Rogers or Aaron Sanchez to take the start.  In Aaron Sanchez’s case, the Nationals would have to first clear a 40-man roster spot to select his minor league contract.
  • Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo updated reporters (including TSN’s Scott Mitchell) about sidelined pitchers Ryan Borucki and Nate Pearson.  Borucki is on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain, but came out of a two-inning simulated game feeling well.  Pearson is set to start light throwing after missing time due to mononucleosis, but because Pearson missed a significant portion of Spring Training, Mitchell writes that the right-hander is “essentially starting from scratch” from a preparation standpoint.  As such, it might not be until at least mid-May that Pearson is fully ramped up.

AL East Notes: Pearson, Borucki, Harvey, Judge, Meadows, Rays, Pollock

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The Blue Jays are dealing with some injury concerns in their bullpen, as Nate Pearson is dealing with a non-COVID illness and Ryan Borucki left yesterday’s game with discomfort in his right hamstring.  Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link) and other reporters that Borucki will undergo an MRI.  More will be known about Borucki’s situation when the MRI results are in, but for Pearson, his illness has limited him to only two appearances thus far in Grapefruit League action.

In all likelihood, Pearson’s illness will keep him from making Toronto’s Opening Day roster.  While this issue seems less serious than the other injuries that have sidelined the righty over the last two years, it represents yet another setback for the former top prospect.  As for Borucki, the southpaw has been a pretty solid reliever when healthy, though he missed almost all of the 2019 season due to elbow problems and over two months of last season with a forearm strain.  If another IL stint is required for Borucki, Tim Mayza will be the only left-hander in the Jays’ projected bullpen, which could open the door for Anthony Kay, Tayler Saucedo, or Andrew Vasquez to break camp.

More from around the division….

  • The Orioles are considering re-signing Matt Harvey, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Harvey struggled to a 6.27 ERA over 127 2/3 innings with Baltimore last season, a performance that didn’t lead to any publicly-known interest in his market this winter.  Harvey’s situation is further clouded by the possibility of a suspension of at least 60 games.  A new deal would surely take the form of a minor league contract, and if Harvey is suspended, he’ll need some extra time anyway to get ramped up to pitch.
  • There doesn’t appear to be much new on the extension front between Aaron Judge and the Yankees, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the two sides aren’t close to an agreement.  Judge has stated that he doesn’t want negotiations to continue after Opening Day, so it seems as though quite a bit of progress will have to be made over just five days’ time.
  • Also from Rosenthal, he reports that the White Sox proposed a trade to the Rays that would’ve seen Austin Meadows head to Chicago in exchange for Craig Kimbrel.  Though Tampa Bay has reportedly been discussing Meadows in other trade talks, the Rays turned down the Kimbrel offer, which isn’t a surprise considering that the closer’s $16MM salary for 2022 would’ve taken up an outsized portion of Tampa’s limited payroll.
  • The White Sox ended up dealing Kimbrel to the Dodgers yesterday for another outfielder in AJ Pollock.  Beyond Chicago’s talks with the Rays, there is another AL East connection to that swap, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Red Sox were one of the teams interested in Pollock.  The right-handed hitting Pollock would’ve been a nice balance for Boston’s current corner outfield tandem of Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley Jr., both of whom swing from the left side.  Beyond just a platoon split, Pollock would’ve been mostly an everyday option, but the Red Sox seem committed to Bradley getting more of a regular share of outfield duty even though Bradley is coming off a dreadful season at the plate.

Blue Jays Reinstate Cavan Biggio From 10-Day Injured List

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The Blue Jays announced that Cavan Biggio has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  Left-hander Ryan Borucki has been optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Biggio’s 2021 struggles will be quickly forgotten if he can contribute to Toronto’s playoff push, though it has thus far been a season to forget for the 26-year-old.  Biggio was a very solid contributor in his first two big league seasons, but he has hit only .215/.316/.350 in 290 plate appearances while battling multiple injuries.  He first missed three weeks due to a cervical spine ligament sprain, and hasn’t played since August 2 after returning to the IL for a back strain.  That IL stint was elongated by an elbow injury Biggio suffered while playing in a minor league rehab game, setting back his progress once again.

Biggio has already played multiple positions during his young career, but the Jays had him penciled in as their regular third baseman heading into the season.  That still seems like Biggio’s likeliest role upon his return, as the hot corner has been a bit of a revolving door when Biggio has been out of action.  Santiago Espinal and Breyvic Valera have played respectably well at the position, and the recently-designated Jake Lamb was also briefly brought in while Espinal was also recovering from an injury.  With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. still day-to-day and George Springer only just returned to center field duty, Biggio might also get some time in the Blue Jays’ outfield picture.

MLB Suspends Blue Jays’ Ryan Borucki

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SEPTEMBER 24: Borucki’s suspension was reduced to two games on appeal. He’ll miss Toronto’s next two games in Minnesota.

SEPTEMBER 23: Major League Baseball has suspended Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki for three games “for intentionally hitting Kevin Kiermaier of the Tampa Bay Rays with a pitch during the bottom of the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game at Tropicana Field.” Borucki has also received an undisclosed fine. He is appealing the suspension, so he’ll remain on the active roster until that appeal is heard.

As is typical, Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for Borucki’s actions. Montoyo will serve his ban tonight, missing this evening’s game against the Twins.

With the Rays leading last night’s game 7-1, Borucki hit Kiermaier in the back with a first-pitch fastball. Benches cleared, and Borucki was ejected by third base umpire Joe West after the fracas was sorted out. After the game, Borucki denied that he hit Kiermaier intentionally, claiming that the ball slipped out of his hand (via ESPN).

The incident came just two days after Kiermaier was at the center of controversy between the two clubs. During Monday’s game, Kiermaier was thrown out at home plate attempting to score on a Jake Lamb throwing error. The play ended the inning and the Blue Jays departed the field. While sitting next to home plate, Kiermaier picked up a gameplan card that had been dropped by Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk (video via Arash Madani of Sportsnet). Kiermaier took the card back to the Tampa Bay dugout.

It’s not clear whether Kiermaier was aware of what was on the card at the time he picked it up. After the game, the Rays center fielder told reporters he initially believed it to be his own gameplan card, which he keeps in his pocket during games to aid his positioning on defense. Kiermaier refused to return the card to the Blue Jays once he realized its contents, upsetting some in the Toronto organization. That bad blood seemingly carried over into Wednesday’s game.

The Rays and Jays are not scheduled to play one another again this season, but it’s possible they’ll play meet in the playoffs. Tampa Bay enters play tonight with a two and a half game advantage over the Astros for the top seed in the American League. If they hold onto that position, they’ll face the winner of the AL Wild Card game in their Division Series. Toronto trails the Yankees by half a game in the race for the final AL Wild Card spot.

Blue Jays Place Tim Mayza On 10-Day Injured List, Option Ryan Borucki

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The Blue Jays placed southpaw Tim Mayza on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, the team announced.  Left-hander Ryan Borucki was also optioned to Triple-A, and lefty Kirby Snead and right-hander Patrick Murphy were recalled from Triple-A to fill the open two roster spots.

With Mayza now sidelined, The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath notes the somewhat amazing fact that every member of the Jays’ opening day pitching staff has been optioned, released, or placed on the IL at some point this season. Despite zero pitchers who have been effective and healthy for the entire season, the Jays are now just 6.5 games out of first and 2.5 games out of a wild card spot.

Mayza has been that source of reliability out of the pen for the Jays, however, with a 3.75 ERA/3.08 FIP in 36 innings spanning 44 games. He’s particularly effective against same-handed hitters, who are slashing just .207/.246/.207 against him.

Snead, 26, will try to take on some of Mayza’s responsibilities in his absence. Snead has just two big league appearances, though he’s pitched to a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season.

Borucki might have taken on some of that workload, but he’s struggled to a 5.12 ERA/5.18 FIP across 20 outings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in yesterday’s game against the Red Sox.

Murphy, 26, has been a name floating around recently as a guy who could be a difference-maker out of the Jays’ pen. The right-hander owns a microscopic 1.00 ERA in Triple-A across 13 innings of work. He has seven appearances with the big league club, the last one coming on July 28th when he tossed one scoreless inning of relief.

Blue Jays Designate Joel Payamps For Assignment

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Before this evening’s game against the Rangers, the Blue Jays designated reliever Joel Payamps for assignment. The move cleared roster space for the reinstatement of fellow bullpen arm Ryan Borucki from the 60-day injured list.

Payamps’ designation comes as a bit of a surprise, as the righty has worked to a 2.70 ERA across 30 innings this season. That’s the second-best mark of the seven Jays’ relievers who have tossed 20+ frames this year. Payamps’ fielding independent metrics don’t quite support that level of run prevention. His 18.5% strikeout rate is well below the 24.5% league average for relievers, while his 9.9% walk percentage is fine but unspectacular.

That said, Payamps has generated swinging strikes at a fine 11.6% clip, so it’s fair to assume he could strike out a few more batters moving forward. He’s also been one of the game’s best pitchers at avoiding hard contact, and he can be optioned for the remainder of the season. Between his performance and roster flexibility, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Payamps drew interest from other clubs via trade or waiver claim. Toronto will have a week to trade him or expose him to the wire.

Borucki has been out since early May with a flexor strain in his forearm. Before going down with injury, the southpaw pitched to a 4.05 ERA/3.25 SIERA over 13 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Activate Thomas Hatch From Injured List

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Before this evening’s game against the Orioles, the Blue Jays reinstated right-hander Thomas Hatch from the 60-day injured list. He was promptly optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. To create 40-man roster space, lefty Ryan Borucki was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.

Hatch hasn’t appeared in the majors this year. A right elbow impingement landed him on the IL to begin the season, and his eventual rehab assignment had to be briefly halted by side tightness. The 26-year-old has made six rehab starts with the Bisons, tossing 19 1/3 frames with a strong 2.79 ERA but less impressive strikeout and walk rates (20.2% and 10.7%, respectively). Hatch worked as a reliever for the big league club last season, pitching 26 1/3 innings with a 2.73 ERA/4.80 SIERA. Nevertheless, the Toronto front office has spoken of keeping him stretched out in Triple-A as potential rotation depth.

Borucki, on the other hand, broke in as a starter but has worked exclusively in relief over the past two years. He tossed 13 1/3 innings of 4.05 ERA/3.23 SIERA ball before landing on the IL on May 11 with a flexor strain in his forearm.

Today’s transfer rules Borucki out for 60 days from that original IL placement. It’s essentially a procedural move, as the left-hander will be eligible to return this weekend. Borucki has progressed to throwing live batting practice and could embark on a rehab assignment of his own this week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet recently noted.

AL East Injury Notes: Means, Arroyo, Walls, Borucki

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Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that John Means is slated to return “at some point right after the All-Star break.”  Means hit the 10-day injured list on June 6 due to a shoulder strain, and his timeline wasn’t entirely clear at the time of the placement.  For now, Means is able to play catch, and will gradually work his way up to readiness over the next few weeks.

Though it’s good news that a projected return date is in place, the timing confirms that Means won’t be participating in the All-Star Game, and the left-hander certainly looked like a strong candidate for his second All-Star selection based on his first two months of work.  A return shortly after the July 12-15 All-Star break would allow time for Means to show that he is healthy for any teams interested in a deal prior to the July 30 trade deadline, though since Means is controlled through the 2024 season, there isn’t any immediate pressure on the Orioles to move Means unless a great offer comes along.

More on other injury situations from around the AL East…

  • The Red Sox placed Christian Arroyo on the 10-day IL due to a right knee contusion, with the placement backdated to June 21.  Michael Chavis was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Arroyo left Sunday’s game after a collision with teammate Enrique Hernandez, though x-rays were negative on what the club described as a bone bruise in his right shin.  Arroyo has hit a solid .264/.324/.432 over 138 plate appearances while getting the bulk of playing time at second base this season, though this is his second trip to the IL, after missing two weeks in May with a hand contusion after being hit by a pitch.
  • The Rays placed shortstop Taylor Walls on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 23) due to right wrist tendinitis, and right-hander Drew Rasmussen has been called up to take Walls’ spot on the active roster.  Walls told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that he received a cortisone shot after trying to play through the injury for around two weeks, and he doesn’t expect to miss time beyond the minimum 10 days.  Walls made his MLB debut just over a month ago, and he has posted a respectable 95 OPS+ while hitting .222/.337/.333 over his first 95 big league plate appearances.  The Rays have used Walls as their starting shortstop since his promotion, though now that star prospect Wander Franco is on the roster, Franco is likely to get the bulk of time at the position while Walls is out.  Given how the Rays mix and match players around the diamond, Walls probably isn’t in danger of getting Wally Pipp’d by Franco, who made his own debut on Tuesday as Tampa’s starting third baseman.
  • Ryan Borucki is slated to throw a bullpen session on Friday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and other reporters.  Borucki hasn’t pitched since May 7 due to a left flexor strain, and while the southpaw was tentatively scheduled to return sometime before the end of June, Montoyo didn’t commit to any firmer timeline.  “We’ll see how he does….If he throws a good bullpen, then we’ll go from there,” Montoyo said.
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