The Blue Jays are looking to give Yariel Rodriguez a spot in the starting rotation amid Alek Manoah’s season-ending surgery.
The Toronto Blue Jays have a rotation spot to fill due to Alek Manoah’s UCL injury. They don’t have much time left to try to salvage their season, so they will have to make sure they add the right guy to their rotation.
Manoah is about to undergo season-ending surgery following being moved to the 15-day injured list. The former All-Star had managed to be a decent starter this season, posting a 3.70 ERA and 26 strikeouts in five starts/24.1 innings. But with his injury now shelving him for the remainder of the season, Toronto will need a new starter.
Yariel Rodriguez is seen as an option to step in. He started four games already this season, posting a 4.11 ERA, but he’s working to return from a back issue that landed him on the IL, too. There is progress with the 27-year-old right-hander’s return, though, and he could make another start for the Blue Jays on Saturday when they host the Cleveland Guardians.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Rodriguez had a “damn good outing” with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. He collected 10 strikeouts in four shutout innings against the Worcester Red Sox, retiring six straight batters at one point while allowing just three singles and a walk.
“We’re viewing him to be pitching on a regular turn and would like for him to start,” Schneider said, via Sportsnet.
Blue Jays seeking fifth starter after Alek Manoah injury
The Blue Jays have gotten stellar production from starting pitchers Jose Berrios (2.93 ERA), Yusei Kikuchi (3.26 ERA), Chris Bassitt (3.80 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (4.00 ERA but a 3.38 FIP). While they could obviously use the best arm they can get, they can get by fine in the starting rotation with just another decent arm.
Rodriguez throws a four-seam fastball and slider most often while also possessing a splitter, sinker and cutter. The rookie’s fastball velocity is solid and his sinker’s velocity is higher than average. While he does need to mitigate walks, he gets whiffs and strikes out batters at a decent rate.
Toronto certainly needs to make a good decision as to who the fifth starter is but the real woes in The 6 come from the offense. Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, Justin Turner and Kevin Kiermaier have all been disappointing. The contributions from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho and Danny Jansen have not been enough. Until that changes, it’s going to be tough to climb in the standings.
The Blue Jays, at 33-34, are two games back from a Wild Card berth. As trade rumors swirl around the team, the opportunity is there to turn things around and contend harder for the playoffs.
Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site’s Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has also written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com.
Leave a Reply