The Mitch White era continues

On the day the Toronto Blue Jays needed to get some internal housekeeping done (extending a qualifying offer to Matt Chapman being top of the list), the club also announced that they had selected right-hander Mitch White to the 40-man roster.

Acquired at the 2022 trade deadline from the Los Angeles Dodgers, White has struggled to recreate the success he found while pitching in California.

Used in both a starting and relieving capacity after the trade, White finished the 2022 campaign with a 7.74 ERA through 10 outings with the Jays (eight starts). He gained regular starts to finish out the year when Toronto moved struggling southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the bullpen and he was solid through his first three outings before falling off the tracks, posting a 9.71 ERA through his final seven appearances with 32 earned runs allowed in 29 2/3 innings.

Heading into the 2023 season, White was in the mix for the final rotation spot but lost out to Kikuchi, as an offseason shoulder injury delayed his Spring Training ramp-up before an elbow injury sent him to the injured list to start the season. He made his first rehab start in late April with the Dunedin Blue Jays before being moved to Buffalo in early May. With the Bisons, White was working as a starter but was struggling once again, posting a 10.13 ERA through five starts while opponents posted a .333 average on the right-hander.

In mid-June, White returned to the Blue Jays roster but pitched solely in relief, making ten appearances through the next month and a half. Through 12 2/3 innings, the 28-year-old posted a 7.11 ERA while working as a mid-reliever or in non-pressure situations, with back-to-back outings in July skewing his stats with six earned runs combined across 2 2/3 innings while he pitched to a 1.737 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, and a 9.2 K/9.

At the end of July, the Blue Jays needed his roster spot at the trade deadline and designated him for assignment, which seemed like the end of his time with the organization. However, White went unclaimed through waivers and the Jays outrighted him to Buffalo shortly after, where he finished the year.

The last two months of the season were great for White, as the former Dodgers prospect turned things around down in Buffalo. After two starts where he allowed five runs, the right-hander was locked down the rest of the way, allowing just seven earned runs over his next seven starts and 33 1/3 innings while striking out 43 batters and bringing his ERA down from 10.88 to 5.50, posting a 1.69 ERA through the month of September. Through the last two months, White had two outings where he didn’t allow an earned run while going at least five innings and allowed just 12 hits through his final four starts to finish out the campaign.

With an impressive finish to the season, the Jays decided to add White back to the 40-man roster, which now sits at 39 considering the return of Chad Green (two-year option picked up), the three 60-day IL players set to return, and the recent acquisition of left-hander Brendon Little.

Having White on the roster gives the Jays some additional starting depth in Triple-A next year or a potential long-man out of the bullpen while fighting for a roster spot alongside Nate Pearson, Bowden Francis, Yosver Zulueta, and numerous other Jays prospects. Should he not make the team out of Spring Training, he is out of options and will need to be DFA’d.