Things didn’t exactly go according to plan during right-hander Erik Swanson’s first rehab appearance Friday in the Florida Complex League.
Swanson, making his 2025 debut after starting this season on the injured list with forearm/elbow discomfort, surrendered four runs (two earned) on two hits prior to being lifted from the game against the FCL Yankees. He faced four batters, failing to record an out.
The 31-year-old endured a rough start out of the gate, allowing a solo home run to begin the top of the fourth inning. What followed afterwards was a pair of defensive blunders, putting two runners on base via a fielding error and catcher’s interference. He then gave up a double that allowed one run to score before leaving with runners on second and third.
Both of those base runners ended up scoring as part of a four-run inning, charging another pair of runs to Swanson.
Swanson, transferred to the 60-day IL earlier this week, was originally scheduled to begin a single-A rehab assignment late last month. But it was hijacked by continued soreness around his right elbow, prompting the Blue Jays to bring him back to Toronto for additional testing. While they didn’t reveal the source of his continued discomfort, they gave him the green light to return to game action after his second opinion didn’t show any structural damage.
The veteran reliever was supposed to serve as a valuable arm at the back end of Toronto’s bullpen after excelling to a 1.32 ERA and 2.14 FIP with 18 strikeouts over his final 15 appearances last season. But this nagging ailment has prevented him from appearing in the majors this season, forcing others to step up in his absence.
Given how overworked the ‘pen has been lately, a healthy Erik Swanson would likely be a significant addition for this team, lightening the pressure on the likes of closer Jeff Hoffman, Yimi García and Chad Green.
Before Swanson entered from the bullpen, rehabbing prospect Landen Maroudis made his second FCL start on Friday, tossing three scoreless innings of one-hit, one-walk ball while striking out three. He pitched 2.1 innings in his first outing on May 3, allowing one run on one hit and issuing two walks and four strikeouts.
The 20-year-old hurler — Toronto’s fourth-round selection in 2023 and
No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline — had his first professional campaign cut short after only three games (two starts) because of last May’s surgery to repair his UCL with an internal brace.
Reliever Ryan Burr also made his second FCL appearance in Friday’s contest, retiring all five batters faced — three via strikeout — over 1.2 shutout innings. Only two balls were put in play against him, resulting in a groundout and flyout.
The 30-year-old has now retired all eight of the batters he’s faced with the FCL Blue Jays, spanning 2.2 scoreless frames. Of those eight outs recorded, five have resulted in punchouts.
Burr, who’s out of options, earned a 4.13 ERA and 3.07 FIP across 34 games (four opener starts) with Toronto after being purchased by the club last season, producing a flattering 25-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference (K-BB%).
