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Joe Mantiply has been a sneakily good addition for the Blue Jays
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Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 22, 2026, 16:00 EDTUpdated: May 22, 2026, 07:49 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays suffered a blow to their bullpen on Tuesday.
Before their game against the New York Yankees, the Blue Jays placed Joe Mantiply on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 18th, with left knee inflammation. It’s a shame, as the left-handed relief pitcher was off to a sneakily good start.
Signed to a minor league deal in March, Mantiply was called up to the Blue Jays in early April as injuries began to mount. Since his call up, the veteran left-handed pitcher has a 2.04 ERA and 2.88 FIP in 17.2 innings pitched, along with a 22.5 K% and 5.6 BB%. Mantiply has only surrendered one home run, something that he struggled with last season.
He’s in the Blue Jays’ circle of trust, but isn’t often used in high leverage situations. Of his 17.2 innings, only two-thirds of them are considered “high-leverage” according to Fangraphs. Mantiply has had some medium leverage in the mix, two and two-thirds innings, but the Jays have mostly used the veteran lefty in low-leverage situations.
The thing is, Mantiply didn’t come out of nowhere, as he had success in the big leagues in the past. From 2016 until 2020, the lefty pitched just eight innings for three different teams in three different seasons. He didn’t become a regular in the league until 2021 when he was 30.
With the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mantiply authored a 3.40 ERA and 2.94 FIP in 39.2 innings pitched, with a 25.1 K% and 2.5 BB% in 2021. Mantiply’s best season by far was in 2022, finishing the season with a 2.85 ERA and 2.83 FIP in 60 innings pitched. He was named an All-Star that season, the first and only time he’s achieved that feat.
The left-handed pitcher struggled in 2023, finishing the season with a 4.62 ERA and 3.84 FIP in 39 innings of work. He got his first taste of playoff baseball, appearing in nine games in the Diamondbacks’ pennant winning playoff run. Over those 7.2 innings, Mantiply had a 4.70 ERA and 3.26 FIP.
Mantiply returned to form in 2024, finishing the year with a 3.92 ERA and 2.51 FIP in 59.2 innings pitched, but struggled in his 10 outings with the Diamondbacks in 2025. After just nine and two-thirds innings where he had a 15.83 ERA and .9.45 FIP, Mantiply was DFA’d and signed a minor league deal with the Jays last summer.
Every team, even a team looking to get back to the World Series, needs a couple of relievers who can pitch in low-leverage. Mantiply has seemingly alternated good and bad seasons since 2022, and so far this season, it looks to be a good one.
Before his injury, Mantiply had cemented himself as a go-to lefty when the Jays needed an out against a left-handed batter. Hopefully, his stint on the injured list is minimal and he can pick up where he left off.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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