When the Toronto Blue Jays first claimed left-hander Easton Lucas off waivers from the Detroit Tigers last August, the move garnered very little attention then, as he was one of several waiver claims made by this organization following its mid-season sell-off. But, as it turns out, that acquisition has proven quite important.
The 28-year-old, a 14th-round selection by the Miami Marlins in 2019, didn’t even remotely resemble the dominant hurler he’s been over his first two career major league starts when he first arrived last season. It didn’t help that he featured a 9.22 ERA over 12 career big-league appearances — all as a reliever — before making his Blue Jays debut. Nor did the six runs and four walks that he surrendered during his only two relief outings with the team.
But, Toronto offered Lucas an opportunity that few other clubs had previously: work as a starting pitcher, albeit at triple-A. So, that’s precisely what he did during the final month of the 2024 campaign, making a trio of starts with the Buffalo Bisons.
And that experiment went incredibly well, as the southpaw allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out 13 across 12 innings of one-run ball.
Fast-forward to this season, and it’s been more of the same from Lucas, who, after punching out a career-high eight hitters over 5.1 scoreless frames against a talented Boston Red Sox lineup Tuesday, has yet to allow a run and struck out 11 in 10.1 innings since sliding into Max Scherzer’s spot in the rotation.
While it’s only been two starts, the first coming versus a young Washington Nationals lineup and the second against the likes of Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman, Lucas is proving he has what it takes to be a major-league-calibre starter. He hasn’t just slapped a band-aid on the Blue Jays’ starting rotation while filling in for the injured Scherzer (right thumb). He has taken hold of this opportunity and is running with it.
Without him, this club could easily be 5-7 right now rather than two games above .500 and sitting atop a wide-open AL East Division heading into Wednesday’s matchup.
“You hope it’s one of those feel-good stories, right?” manager John Schneider told reporters following Toronto’s 6-1 victory, including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “He’s done a really good job of taking advantage of every resource available and understanding, at this point in his career, how his stuff works and really how good he can be.
“I’ve said it before, we’ve liked him since the first time we saw him. He’s got a little bit of momentum and he’s running with it. It happens at different times for people. You don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but I think he’s in a really good spot right now.”
Tuesday night was supposed to be the Garrett Crochet show at Fenway Park. Instead, it was Toronto’s lefty serving as the main attraction as he neutralized an opposing offence that exploded for 18 runs against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Utilizing his north-south approach, pounding the top of the strike zone with his high-riding four-seamer while mixing in changeups, sliders and sweepers in the bottom-third quadrant, Lucas kept his opponent off balance throughout the entirety of his outing — including Duran and Devers, who each faced him three separate times.
“He pitched with no fear,” said Bo Bichette. “We need him. He’s a big part of our team right now. For him to pitch like that against a lineup like that? It’s cool for all of us to see.”
Despite enduring a tough results-based spring, Lucas — who allowed eight runs (all earned) on 10 hits and four walks during 8.1 innings in four Grapefruit League appearances (three starts) but did record seven strikeouts — has controlled the strike zone better than he has at any other point in his big-league career.
And that’s allowed him to thrive under the spotlight for a Blue Jays squad that could badly use another pitching success story in 2025, building off Bowden Francis’ remarkable late-season emergence from last September.
“I have a lot of confidence in where I’m throwing my pitches. That clicked at the end of Spring Training,” Lucas said. “I was struggling to command my fastball last year and I was dealing with the adrenaline. This year, I’m focused on being under control and commanding my fastball. After that, it opens up everything else.”
Toronto’s coaching staff was hesitant to announce whether Lucas or Yariel Rodríguez would receive the starting nod leading up to Tuesday’s showdown in Boston. They wanted to let Monday’s series opener play out first before making that decision.
Following yet another sensational performance from Lucas, though, it’d be a surprise if he didn’t make a third straight start in place of Scherzer, whose turn in the rotation will come around again this Sunday versus the Baltimore Orioles.