It’s time to start thinking about workloads, specifically for a Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation that’s carried this team for a second straight season.

Heading into Wednesday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, the Blue Jays have 36 games left to play in 2024, none of which will change the franchise’s fate as a non-playoff contender. As such, these final six weeks should present an opportunity for the organization to carefully manage the starting staff’s innings down the stretch, particularly for its core trio.

That includes Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt, each of whom has endured heavy workloads over the last few seasons. Since the start of 2021, those three sit among the sport’s top 10 innings pitched leaders, with Berríos at No. 5 (710.1), Gausman at No. 6 (696) and Bassitt at No. 8 (678).

But it’s not just how many innings a pitcher logs. It’s also about how stressful those outings were, and the Blue Jays’ trio has certainly faced its share of high-leverage situations. Bassitt, in particular, ranks third out of 175 qualified starting pitchers (min. 10 innings) in high-leverage innings (47.2) since ’21. Gausman (36.1) and Berríos (34) aren’t far behind, positioned 15th and tied for 22nd, respectively.

If you travel back even further, you’ll find Berríos has logged the second-most innings (1,166) in the majors since ’18 — his first of many seasons where he made 32 starts — trailing only Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (1,219.1).

There are a ton of kilometres on those arms, and they aren’t getting any younger, with Bassitt turning 36 next season, Gausman 34, and Berríos 31. Given what’ll be asked of that trio in 2025, they probably need to save as many bullets as possible for when this team is competitive again, and there are a few options that could help them accomplish that feat.

Amidst a stretch of 18 games in 17 days, there’ll be plenty of innings to cover between now and Sep. 2, Toronto’s next off day. With Monday’s double-header versus the Boston Red Sox on the horizon, the Blue Jays will need a sixth starter for one of those two contests at Fenway Park, although they don’t have many arms to choose from.

Due to injuries and a lack of depth, there are only two healthy starting pitchers on the 40-man roster not already in the major leagues: prospect Jake Bloss and veteran Paolo Espino. Either could be called up as the 27th man in Boston. But, considering the former Houston Astros hurler is on tap to pitch for triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, chances are he won’t be available for Monday’s double-header.

Bloss could, however, be an option for another spot start later in the week, with the Blue Jays playing six straight games coming out of the double-header. By recalling him, the club would ensure all five starters receive an extra rest day heading into September.

With a window of nine straight games from Sep. 17-25, there could be another opportunity for Bloss or Espino to make a spot start to help the club’s rotation operate on five days rest rather than the traditional four.

Building off the spot-starter theory, the idea of shifting to a six-man rotation is surely one the Blue Jays have kicked around recently, especially considering they’re in the middle of an 18-game stretch without an off day. But if they’re going to implement that plan, now’s the time to execute it.

Toronto has five off days in September, including three over the first two weeks, mitigating the need for six starters beyond the first day of the month. However, they’ve yet to officially announce their pitching plans for this weekend’s four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, so they could have Bloss — who tossed four innings of one-hit ball in his last triple-A start — make his next start during Thursday’s opener.

Alternatively, the Blue Jays could wait until next month before rolling out a six-man rotation, with a six-game window beginning Sep. 6, including three each versus the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. While there’s a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals sandwiched between two off days after that point, already having six starters in place could allow for a seamless transition into that stretch of nine games in nine days.

One obvious benefit to featuring a six-man rotation is it’d help the organization manage Yariel Rodríguez’s workload the rest of the way, considering he’s already thrown 76.1 total innings — a figure that’ll increase following Wednesday’s outing — between triple-A and the majors in his first big-league season after skipping the 2023 campaign.

Previously, we’ve seen starters like Gausman and Bassitt run their pitch counts as high as 118 and 115 this season, respectively. But don’t expect either of them or anyone else to be pushed to the maximum level across these final 30-plus games.

The potential risk outweighs the reward in this case. If things run smoothly this winter, there should be ample opportunities for this team’s core trio to pitch deep into meaningful games next season. For now, though, all that’s necessary is to have them clock in and out without over-exerting themselves.

If that means skipping a start or two with five off days in September or ending a strong outing prematurely, then so be it.