Facing early roster adversities, the Toronto Blue Jays may have to dig deep early in their roster to find relief in the rotation. Max Scherzer was placed on the 15-day injured list last weekend, and there is a strong possibility he will last longer than 15 days.

The ace veteran right-hander took an early exit in his Blue Jays season debut and related his discomfort to his thumb injury. The reality is, this won’t be a rush job, although he is trending in the right direction after receiving the cortisone shot in his thumb.

Scherzer and the club will take all the time they need to ensure this issue is dealt with and does not cause further harm. Ultimately, further harm to Scherzer is harmful to the club. In the meantime, the Blue Jays will need a temporary supplement.

The Jays recalled left-hander Easton Lucas from triple-A Buffalo to fill in the rotation gap. The lefty was a 2019, 14th-round draft pick for the Miami Marlins. In 2021, he joined the Baltimore Orioles organization, followed by the Athletics and Detroit.

In 2024, he was acquired by Toronto from the Tigers via the waiver wire. Within three triple-A stints in 2024, Lucas finished with a 2.75 ERA in four starts, 38 games, and 68 and 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 73 batters and walked 28 and earned a late season callup to the Blue Jays, where he struggled through his relief outings.

Lucas started the finale against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, throwing five innings and allowing only one hit, no runs, three strikeouts, and two walks. Lucas has the depth to fill the role temporarily and forces weak contact for easy outs. Being a southpaw, he matches up well against a lot of lineups.

Outside of Lucas, the Jays have a few arms they can look to turn to in triple-A.

Jake Bloss is one arm that is on the radar, although he struggled in his recent outing with the Bisons. He allowed nine hits across four innings of work and eight runs plated, although only three were credited to him due to a couple of fielding miscues. He also walked two while striking out one, so some more reps in triple-A are likely on the horizon.

The club could also turn to Eric Lauer, who made the Opening Day start for the Buffalo Bisons last week and turned in a solid performance. Through four innings, he allowed two hits and two runs while striking out four compared to two walks, keeping opposing hitters limited to a .133 average. He needs a 40-man roster spot, which isn’t the biggest hurdle to overcome, but it could be enough to give Bloss the opportunity over Lauer if push comes to shove.

These two pitchers stand out amongst the starting depth, especially with Ricky Tiedemann, Chad Dallas, and Alek Manoah all still rehabbing from Tommy John. For now, Lucas has some more runway after his impressive start against the Nationals, but there are a few starting options to call upon.

Watching the Blue Jays on the mound after starters exit the game was horrendous in 2024, and there has been a bit of fluctuation amongst the 2025 relief corps to start the season. Richard Lovelady started that trend for Toronto this season, inheriting his weak spring training show out into the opening weekend. The Blue Jays designated Lovelady for assignment and called up Mason Fluharty to stop the bleeding there. Jacob Barnes also finds himself in a similar position. Barnes has pitched only two innings in two games, allowing two earned-runs, a 53-34 pitch-to-strike rate and an ugly 15.43 ERA. Barnes may be the next one designated for assignment if things keep up.

If not Lucas, the club will have to select from the relievers and go with a bullpen game, most likely.

The only reliable option would be former starter Yariel Rodríguez. Various post-game chatter by fans on Sportsnet 590 The FAN disagree with Rodriguez being the in-house option, and lately, the Jays have used the right-hander in more setup roles versus the long-man.

Based on depth in the bullpen, he’s the go-to. Based on reliability, the answer would be to platoon him and another option until short relief is available. Ideally, a three- or four-arm game. Rodriguez pitched 86 and 2/3 innings last season with twice as many strikeouts as walks, a .229 batting average from opposing hitters, and a 4.47 ERA.

Who would platoon this assignment with Rodriguez? Fluharty would be a crafty left-hander to throw in the mix and throw strikes. He’s another pitcher to deliver wonky offspeed with the ability to roll batters over into weak contact. Fluharty from the left side and Rodriguez from the right could force opposing managers to make bench decisions with regards to their offence. The matchups would be beneficial, and Toronto could start and relieve whichever arm they want to.

For the time being, Lucas seems to be the go-to arm for the job and should continue getting the nod until he proves that he shouldn’t be in the spot. Sometimes, the best foot forward is the arm that is proving it can give you the outs now and then deal with the problem if things go awry. Lauer and Bloss are next in line for the call-up should Lucas struggle in his next outing but until he does struggle on the mound, manager John Schneider will keep turning to his left-hander until Scherzer returns from the IL.