Shoemaker out for rest of the season

Initially hopeful for his return, Matt Shoemaker is out for the remainder of the 2019 season after an MRI showed he has torn his ACL.

Injured on an awkward rundown play in the Saturday game against the Oakland A’s, Shoemaker ends his season after an uplifting beginning to his stint with this team.

In five starts and 28.2 innings pitched, he has a 3-0 record with a 1.57 ERA, 0.872 WHIP and 7.5 strikeout rate per nine innings. For a previously-injured 32-year-old, that was insane numbers to add to the early strength in the Jays’ rotation.

In his five seasons with the Angels, his two most recent seasons have been absolutely injury-riddled — pitching only 108.2 innings through those two years.

One positive outlook on this injury is that Shoemaker has another year of arbitration eligibility, hitting free agency after the 2020 season. Considering his recent injury history, it might not be the smartest to be super hopeful that Shoemaker can help the 2020 Blue Jays like he has in just five starts. But if he is able to bounce back at all, he could be another important asset to either help the team win, or you know, be traded to a winning team.

Richard Urena has been called-up as the following move on the Blue Jays roster. He will most likely make way for a different Buffalo Bisons infielder in the coming days.

No matter how you see it, this Shoemaker injury is heart-wrenching. What looked like a massive breakout possibility to return to his former productivity, he is now out for almost a full calendar year because of a dumb play.