<p>Let the bullpen churn continue. </p>
<p>These last few weeks have been a major test for the Toronto Blue Jays, particularly their bullpen, which has <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=y&amp;type=8&amp;season=2025&amp;month=1000&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;stats=rel&amp;team=0%2Cts&amp;startdate=2025-08-01&amp;enddate=2025-11-01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled mightily since the start of August</a>, ranking 26th in ERA (4.94), 30th in walk rate (13.7 per cent) and last in fWAR (-0.5) alongside the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins.</p>
<p>This &#8216;pen also earned its 23rd blown save of 2025 &#8212; tied for fifth-most in the majors &#8212; on Monday as the combination of Tommy Nance (seeking his first career MLB save) and Brendon Little coughed up a ninth-inning lead as part of <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/09/01/instant-reaction-toronto-blue-jays-bullpen-blows-another-game-5-4-loss-reds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cincinnati&#8217;s 5-4 walk-off victory</a>. It was yet another devastating defeat amidst a frustrating stretch for this team &#8212; most of which can be attributed to Toronto&#8217;s relief corps.</p>
<p>As the Blue Jays&#8217; lead atop the AL East continues to dwindle, the frustration level around the bullpen continues to rise, and understandably so. But this can&#8217;t be solved by a quick, simple fix. The problem runs deeper than that, considering it hasn&#8217;t been just one or two faltering relievers. It&#8217;s been the entire group.</p>
<p>The likes of Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, Yariel Rodríguez, Brendon Little and Louis Varland need to perform better. They also need help, though, as most of them have endured intense workloads this season and have been battling fatigue lately. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;ve seen Tommy Nance&#8217;s role increase significantly in recent weeks, and it&#8217;s also why you&#8217;ll likely see this team continue to cycle through relief arms until they locate a more tangible solution.</p>
<p>Now that rosters have expanded to 28 players, affording teams one extra bullpen arm (as well as an additional position player), the Blue Jays have even more reason to treat this like a revolving door. And they&#8217;ve already started down that path, making Easton Lucas, Dillon Tate and Eric Lauer &#8212; the odd man out as the team returns to a traditional five-man rotation &#8212; the &#8216;pen&#8217;s most recent arrivals.</p>
<p>Additional moves will be made between now and the end of September. You can count on that. Fresh arms will be needed, especially once this club begins a 13-game stretch without an off-day next week. Since Lucas and Tate both have options remaining, they can easily be optioned back to triple-A at any time, meaning the bullpen&#8217;s revolving door may continue spinning for quite some time.</p>
<p>With that in mind, it&#8217;s worth exploring which of Buffalo&#8217;s relievers could become a realistic option down the stretch. So, let&#8217;s take a look at seven potential candidates.</p>
<h2>Braydon Fisher</h2>
<p>Chances are Fisher becomes the next reliever to join Toronto&#8217;s bullpen.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old was<a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/08/20/blue-jays-activate-shane-bieber-off-the-injured-list-option-braydon-fisher-to-bisons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> optioned to triple-A on Aug. 21</a>, meaning he&#8217;s eligible to return to the majors ahead of Friday&#8217;s pivotal series against the New York Yankees. Given the current state of the &#8216;pen, it&#8217;d be somewhat surprising if the right-hander wasn&#8217;t recalled as a fresh arm, especially considering his importance to this team before receiving a much-needed reset last month.</p>
<p>Fisher has made four appearances with the Bisons since being sent down, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and just one walk while striking out four. Needless to say, he&#8217;s ready for the Bronx.</p>
<h2>Mason Fluharty</h2>
<p>We should also expect to see Fluharty back up with the Blue Jays soon, though he isn&#8217;t eligible to return from the minors until after Monday&#8217;s off-day. That means he could be recalled for the Houston Astros series, which begins Tuesday.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s been a roller-coaster rookie campaign for the 24-year-old southpaw. He&#8217;s been dominant at times this season, but has also displayed signs of fatigue and inexperience at this level, requiring multiple resets at triple-A. Still, amidst Little&#8217;s prolonged woes, his services will surely be needed for a slate that includes New York, Houston, Baltimore, Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay &#8212; all teams with impact left-handed hitters, which he&#8217;s punched out over a third of the time in &#8217;25.</p>
<h2>Trey Yesavage</h2>
<p>While the Blue Jays didn&#8217;t add Yesavage to their 40-man roster before Sep. 1, making him ineligible for the post-season (unless approved by the Commissioner&#8217;s Office), there&#8217;s still a chance he could <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/08/12/trey-yesavage-help-blue-jays-this-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make his highly anticipated major league debut this season</a>. But probably not as a starter.</p>
<p>With five healthy big-league starters, six if you include Lauer, there isn&#8217;t a pathway to a starting role for the organization&#8217;s top pitching prospect. That&#8217;ll likely change in 2026. For now, though, his best chance of being called up is as a multi-inning reliever. The only issue with that is he has only made one relief appearance in his pro career &#8212; a five-inning outing with nine strikeouts at double-A on Aug. 8.</p>
<p>Yesavage likely needs to make multiple relief appearances with Buffalo before crafting any promotion plans. Based on the Bisons&#8217; upcoming pitching plans, however, it&#8217;s possible that last season&#8217;s 20th-overall selection could pitch in relief on Tuesday, with Paxton Schultz scheduled to start during Yesavage&#8217;s usual turn in the rotation.</p>
<h2>Adam Macko</h2>
<p>Speaking of multi-inning relievers, Macko&#8217;s prospect stock has jumped considerably in recent weeks while transitioning from Buffalo&#8217;s rotation to the bullpen. He&#8217;s actually been piggybacking with Alek Manoah in this role, allowing one earned run and posting 11 strikeouts with just three walks over his last three appearances.</p>
<p>Shifting to the &#8216;pen has led to a major increase in swing-and-miss for the 24-year-old lefty &#8212; who missed the first month of this season while recovering from a torn meniscus &#8212; that has resulted in a 35.3-per-cent whiff rate in that same span, rising 10 per cent from his 11 previous outings (10 starts).</p>
<p>Granted, the Blue Jays already have a left-handed multi-inning reliever in Lauer, who may receive another chance to start if the team returns to a six-man rotation later this month. If that occurs, Macko could be called upon to serve as his replacement or as a fresh arm for Lucas (if he&#8217;s still in the majors then), considering he&#8217;s already on the 40-man roster.</p>
<h2>Ryan Borucki</h2>
<p>*Old friend alert*</p>
<p>The Blue Jays <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/08/26/toronto-blue-jays-sign-ryan-borucki-minor-league-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opted to bring back Borucki last week, inking him to a minor-league deal</a> after being released by the Pittsburgh Pirates. At this point, the 31-year-old lefty isn&#8217;t much more than triple-A depth, but he could become an option if a string of injuries arises down the stretch.</p>
<p>Borucki remains an effective option in left-on-left matchups, given the 13.3-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference (K-BB%) and 2.55 FIP he posted over 17.1 innings in those situations with the Pirates earlier this season. However, he would need to be added to the 40-man roster before he could join Toronto&#8217;s bullpen.</p>
<h2>Paxton Schultz</h2>
<p>Schultz, optioned to triple-A on Aug. 25 and eligible to return next Tuesday, could factor into the Blue Jays&#8217; bullpen churn if they require a fresh arm and need someone to provide length out of their bullpen down the stretch. But they&#8217;re suddenly stocked up on multi-inning relievers at the moment.</p>
<h2>Justin Bruihl</h2>
<p>Bruihl has mostly been the Blue Jays&#8217; third lefty reliever behind Little and Fluharty this season, filling that role admirably when he&#8217;s been needed. There&#8217;s a chance his name could be called again later this month. But after being optioned to Buffalo on Saturday, he won&#8217;t be eligible to return until Sep. 14, meaning he could finish the &#8217;25 campaign at triple-A.</p>

Let the bullpen churn continue. 

These last few weeks have been a major test for the Toronto Blue Jays, particularly their bullpen, which has <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=y&amp;type=8&amp;season=2025&amp;month=1000&amp;season1=2025&amp;ind=0&amp;stats=rel&amp;team=0%2Cts&amp;startdate=2025-08-01&amp;enddate=2025-11-01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled mightily since the start of August</a>, ranking 26th in ERA (4.94), 30th in walk rate (13.7 per cent) and last in fWAR (-0.5) alongside the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins.

This 'pen also earned its 23rd blown save of 2025 -- tied for fifth-most in the majors -- on Monday as the combination of Tommy Nance (seeking his first career MLB save) and Brendon Little coughed up a ninth-inning lead as part of <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/09/01/instant-reaction-toronto-blue-jays-bullpen-blows-another-game-5-4-loss-reds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cincinnati's 5-4 walk-off victory</a>. It was yet another devastating defeat amidst a frustrating stretch for this team -- most of which can be attributed to Toronto's relief corps.

As the Blue Jays' lead atop the AL East continues to dwindle, the frustration level around the bullpen continues to rise, and understandably so. But this can't be solved by a quick, simple fix. The problem runs deeper than that, considering it hasn't been just one or two faltering relievers. It's been the entire group.

The likes of Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, Yariel Rodríguez, Brendon Little and Louis Varland need to perform better. They also need help, though, as most of them have endured intense workloads this season and have been battling fatigue lately. That's why we've seen Tommy Nance's role increase significantly in recent weeks, and it's also why you'll likely see this team continue to cycle through relief arms until they locate a more tangible solution.

Now that rosters have expanded to 28 players, affording teams one extra bullpen arm (as well as an additional position player), the Blue Jays have even more reason to treat this like a revolving door. And they've already started down that path, making Easton Lucas, Dillon Tate and Eric Lauer -- the odd man out as the team returns to a traditional five-man rotation -- the 'pen's most recent arrivals.

Additional moves will be made between now and the end of September. You can count on that. Fresh arms will be needed, especially once this club begins a 13-game stretch without an off-day next week. Since Lucas and Tate both have options remaining, they can easily be optioned back to triple-A at any time, meaning the bullpen's revolving door may continue spinning for quite some time.

With that in mind, it's worth exploring which of Buffalo's relievers could become a realistic option down the stretch. So, let's take a look at seven potential candidates.
<h2>Braydon Fisher</h2>
Chances are Fisher becomes the next reliever to join Toronto's bullpen.

The 25-year-old was<a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/08/20/blue-jays-activate-shane-bieber-off-the-injured-list-option-braydon-fisher-to-bisons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> optioned to triple-A on Aug. 21</a>, meaning he's eligible to return to the majors ahead of Friday's pivotal series against the New York Yankees. Given the current state of the 'pen, it'd be somewhat surprising if the right-hander wasn't recalled as a fresh arm, especially considering his importance to this team before receiving a much-needed reset last month.

Fisher has made four appearances with the Bisons since being sent down, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and just one walk while striking out four. Needless to say, he's ready for the Bronx.
<h2>Mason Fluharty</h2>
We should also expect to see Fluharty back up with the Blue Jays soon, though he isn't eligible to return from the minors until after Monday's off-day. That means he could be recalled for the Houston Astros series, which begins Tuesday.

It's been a roller-coaster rookie campaign for the 24-year-old southpaw. He's been dominant at times this season, but has also displayed signs of fatigue and inexperience at this level, requiring multiple resets at triple-A. Still, amidst Little's prolonged woes, his services will surely be needed for a slate that includes New York, Houston, Baltimore, Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay -- all teams with impact left-handed hitters, which he's punched out over a third of the time in '25.
<h2>Trey Yesavage</h2>
While the Blue Jays didn't add Yesavage to their 40-man roster before Sep. 1, making him ineligible for the post-season (unless approved by the Commissioner's Office), there's still a chance he could <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/08/12/trey-yesavage-help-blue-jays-this-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make his highly anticipated major league debut this season</a>. But probably not as a starter.

With five healthy big-league starters, six if you include Lauer, there isn't a pathway to a starting role for the organization's top pitching prospect. That'll likely change in 2026. For now, though, his best chance of being called up is as a multi-inning reliever. The only issue with that is he has only made one relief appearance in his pro career -- a five-inning outing with nine strikeouts at double-A on Aug. 8.

Yesavage likely needs to make multiple relief appearances with Buffalo before crafting any promotion plans. Based on the Bisons' upcoming pitching plans, however, it's possible that last season's 20th-overall selection could pitch in relief on Tuesday, with Paxton Schultz scheduled to start during Yesavage's usual turn in the rotation.
<h2>Adam Macko</h2>
Speaking of multi-inning relievers, Macko's prospect stock has jumped considerably in recent weeks while transitioning from Buffalo's rotation to the bullpen. He's actually been piggybacking with Alek Manoah in this role, allowing one earned run and posting 11 strikeouts with just three walks over his last three appearances.

Shifting to the 'pen has led to a major increase in swing-and-miss for the 24-year-old lefty -- who missed the first month of this season while recovering from a torn meniscus -- that has resulted in a 35.3-per-cent whiff rate in that same span, rising 10 per cent from his 11 previous outings (10 starts).

Granted, the Blue Jays already have a left-handed multi-inning reliever in Lauer, who may receive another chance to start if the team returns to a six-man rotation later this month. If that occurs, Macko could be called upon to serve as his replacement or as a fresh arm for Lucas (if he's still in the majors then), considering he's already on the 40-man roster.
<h2>Ryan Borucki</h2>
*Old friend alert*

The Blue Jays <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/08/26/toronto-blue-jays-sign-ryan-borucki-minor-league-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opted to bring back Borucki last week, inking him to a minor-league deal</a> after being released by the Pittsburgh Pirates. At this point, the 31-year-old lefty isn't much more than triple-A depth, but he could become an option if a string of injuries arises down the stretch.

Borucki remains an effective option in left-on-left matchups, given the 13.3-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference (K-BB%) and 2.55 FIP he posted over 17.1 innings in those situations with the Pirates earlier this season. However, he would need to be added to the 40-man roster before he could join Toronto's bullpen.
<h2>Paxton Schultz</h2>
Schultz, optioned to triple-A on Aug. 25 and eligible to return next Tuesday, could factor into the Blue Jays' bullpen churn if they require a fresh arm and need someone to provide length out of their bullpen down the stretch. But they're suddenly stocked up on multi-inning relievers at the moment.
<h2>Justin Bruihl</h2>
Bruihl has mostly been the Blue Jays' third lefty reliever behind Little and Fluharty this season, filling that role admirably when he's been needed. There's a chance his name could be called again later this month. But after being optioned to Buffalo on Saturday, he won't be eligible to return until Sep. 14, meaning he could finish the '25 campaign at triple-A.

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