Josh Winckowski continues to make case to join Blue Jays’ bullpen
Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 18, 2026, 05:32 EDT
Josh Winckowski is doing all he can to be considered as a late-season callup for the Toronto Blue Jays.
On Tuesday night, Winckowski pitched in his fifth rehab outing and second since being moved to Triple-A Buffalo, and once again the right-hander impressed.
During the Bisons’ 9-8 victory over the Rochester Red Wings, Winckowski turned in a pitching line of 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K and threw 37 pitches (21 strikes) in the outing.
Winckowski entered the contest with one out in the top of the third inning and required only two pitches to get Trey Lipscomb to ground out to shortstop on a 93.1 MPH sinker. After issuing a two-out walk to Cayden Wallace, Winckowski struck out former Blue Jay Riley Adams on an 85.9 MPH slider to end the frame.
Coming back out to work the top of the fourth inning, Winckowski required only 12 pitches to strikeout Leandro Pineda looking on an 85.5 MPH slider, get Liover Peguero to pop out to second baseman Jay Harry, and to retire Maxwell Romero Jr. on a groundout to shortstop Josh Kasevich.
Winckowski returned for the top of the fifth and allowed a leadoff single to centre fielder Sam Petersen. With Petersen on first, Winckowski struck out Seaver King with his slider before a stolen base put a runner in scoring position with only one away. From there, Winckowski buckled down and struck out Buddy Kennedy with a high fastball before being removed by Bisons manager Casey Candaele.
To say Winckowski has impressed since returning to the mound following last year’s internal brace procedure would be an understatement. Through five outings, Winckowski is 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Winckowski has struck out 14 batters, held opponents to a .158 average and has looked even better since his rehab shifted to Triple-A.
Through his two outings with the Bisons, Winckowski has allowed zero earned runs through 4.1 innings and has produced a 0.69 WHIP. Winckowski has limited opponents to a paltry .133 average and struck out six batters during that span.
Across six games with the Red Sox last season before being injured, Winckowski went 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The 28-year-old was hit at a .250 clip and struck out nine batters across 11.2 innings.
Since joining the Blue Jays, both Michael Lorenzen and Spencer Arrighetti have struggled. Lorenzen has pitched in six games and is 0-2 with an 8.49 ERA, while in Arrighetti’s six appearances, he is 1-4 with a 6.20 ERA.
With nine games to go and wins at a premium, the Blue Jays could be forced to give Winckowski a shot that they may not have envisioned when they signed him to a two-year, minor-league contract this past offseason.
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