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Tough pitching decisions lie ahead for the Blue Jays when Francis, Rodríguez, and Green are all healthy
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Tyson Shushkewich
May 21, 2024, 21:00 EDTUpdated: May 21, 2024, 20:51 EDT
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Compared to last season, the Toronto Blue Jays have not been so lucky for their pitching staff staying off the injured list.
Right-handers Alek Manoah, Erik Swanson, and Jordan Romano all opened the season on the IL. At the same time, Kevin Gausman probably could have used an IL stint early this season while he battled a shoulder injury and had a late ramp-up out of Spring Training, battling through the injury that noticeably impacted his performance on the mound out of the gate.
As of late, the Jays have three pitchers currently on the injured list – Yariel Rodríguez (back), Bowden Francis (forearm tendonitis), and Chad Green (right teres muscle strain). Each pitcher spent some time on the big league roster this year, with Francis and Green opening the year with Toronto while Rodríguez followed shortly after two starts in Buffalo.
Rodríguez made a rehab appearance earlier today, throwing 16 pitches and lasting less than an inning while allowing one hit and one walk before being pulled due to hitting his pitch limit. Both Green and Francis are slated to take the mound tomorrow for Buffalo and both pitchers already have some innings under their belt since hitting the IL. Francis has already pitched in two games (4 1/3 innings while striking out five). Green has just one inning of work, allowing one hit while striking out one batter through the clean frame.

Blue Jays – Rodríguez, Green, and Francis continue rehab assignments in Buffalo

With Romano and Swanson on the IL to begin the year, the club turned to Green in high-pressure situations and he pitched well, posting a 2.35 ERA through seven outings before being sidelined. Francis on the other hand got a crack in the rotation after a solid Spring Training but the Florida product struggled to replicate the success, eventually moving to the bullpen and working in tandem with Rodríguez before finding himself on the injured list as well.
All three pitchers will be looking to return to the big leagues shortly given their current rehab rate. It is yet to be determined who will be ready first or in what role the likes of Francis or Rodríguez will play once healthy and that could be in part due to the emergence of Alek Manoah in the rotation.
Since being called up to Toronto, the former first-round pick owns a 3.00 ERA through 18 innings and three starts while striking out 19 batters compared to 11 hits. While his command was a bit shaky in his 2024 debut to the tune of four walks, Manoah has settled in as of late and has allowed just two free passes through his past 14 innings on the mound.
The Jays starter has gone seven innings in two of his three starts and hasn’t allowed an earned run since his debut game against Washington back on May 5th. That start seemed like things were going to turn sour for the Jays starter, who struggled mightily in 2023, but the lack of starting depth due to injuries and manager John Schneider giving Manoah another turn in the rotation has seen things flip quickly for the 26-year-old.
With Manoah seemingly pencilled into the rotation for the foreseeable future, the chances of Rodríguez and/or Francis moving to the bullpen when they are deemed ready to go seem high; that is if they are called upon.
Both players have the potential to be optioned to triple-A following their IL stints, as Francis has a minor league option at his disposal while Rodríguez can be sent down to the minors without his permission this season, a clause in his five-year contract he signed this past offseason. Should the Jays decide that they want to keep one of them stretched out as a starter in the minors, Francis or Rodríguez could fit the bill instead of being a multi-inning pitcher out of the relief corps.
With this in mind, should the Blue Jays decide all three pitchers are needed at the big league level, as Green is the only sure lock to return at this point, the Jays will need to make some moves to open up spots for the trio in the big leagues.
The two players currently on the Jays roster who will likely head to Buffalo in corresponding moves are Nate Pearson and Zach Pop. Both pitchers have options at their disposal and are no strangers to riding the options bus throughout their careers.
Pearson has been a bit of a rollercoaster in 2024, with the ability to pitch in high leverage and strike out opposing batters but also struggling to get outs at times, one of the reasons he owns a 6.00 ERA through 15 innings. Through eight innings, Pop has allowed eight hits and four earned runs (heading into today’s game) since being called up on April 30th to the tune of a 4.50 ERA but likely doesn’t stick around when the likes of Green or Rodríguez/Francis are healthy.
Of the rest of the bullpen group, Swanson, Génesis Cabrera, and Tim Mayza all have options should the need arise, but it seems unlikely the Blue Jays will send any of these three to triple-A even with their recent faults.
Shi Davidi
Shi Davidi
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Chad Green said he felt good during a nine-pitch rehab outing at triple-A Buffalo yesterday. He’ll do another inning for the Bisons on Wednesday, when Bowden Francis will throw 2-3 innings/45ish pitches, said manager John Schneider. Blue Jays hoping both ready after.

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Swanson has struggled mightily since returning from injury, posting an 11.32 ERA with 13 earned runs off of 17 hits and three walks, while Mayza has not been able to find a groove either out of the gate – authoring a 6.28 ERA through 21 outings and 14 1/3 innings, one of the more called upon relievers out of the bullpen even with his rough outings mixed in. Cabrera on the other hand is making strides as of late, allowing just one earned run through his last 5 1/3 innings and three runs through his last 15 outings, dropping his ERA to 4.86 on the season.

Impending roster moves for the Blue Jays’ pitching staff

Even with these stats in mind, it seems unlikely that the Jays will drop either one of the three mentioned above in favour of Francis or Rodríguez, so there is an increased likelihood that one of the two will stay in Buffalo barring an injury to the big league staff. The likes of Jordan Romano, Yimi García, and Trevor Richards aren’t going anywhere for the time being.
These next few days could be telling based on how Francis and Rodríguez are used in Buffalo, especially with the Florida product pitching tomorrow. It seems the Jays are expecting both Francis and Green to be ready to go following their outings tomorrow, so it is plausible that both head back to the big leagues while Rodríguez continues to get some more innings under his belt before another roster decision needs to be made.

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