Kirk and others set for a rehab appearance this week

This week is going to be a busy one for the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system.

Ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves, Blue Jays manager John Schneider updated media regarding injuries. There are four words to describe what he said: Lots of rehab outings.

A slew of #BlueJays injury updates…
John Schneider: “Actually some positive ones”

Let’s start with the players who either aren’t ready or won’t need a rehab assignment. Jesús Sánchez was hit in the wrist by an errant throw from a fan. While he isn’t in the lineup on Tuesday evening, he’ll be available off the bench. That’s great news for the team.

Additionally, Lenyn Sosa and Addison Barger have begun baseball activities, with Barger hitting and throwing, while Sosa is hitting. Barger’s news in particular is encouraging, as “elbow soreness” is always worrisome.

As for the rehab outings, the lone position player set to begin a rehab assignment this week is Alejandro Kirk, who hasn’t appeared in a game since April 4th. The Blue Jays’ catcher is set to be the Dunedin Blue Jays’ designated hitter on Wednesday. Getting Kirk’s bat back in the lineup, especially if it’s like anything it was last season, will be a huge boost for the Jays.

It appears that Dylan Cease’s stint on the 15-day injured list will be a minimum one, as there’s a strong chance he’ll make a rehab start with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Thursday. Cease has never been on the big league injured list before, so this will be the first time he’s thrown a pitch in the minor leagues since 2019.

Cease’s departure from the rotation has been a tough one for the Blue Jays to deal with, as they now have a bullpen twice over a span of five days. That adds additional stress to an already taxed bullpen. Cease is eligible to come off the 15-day IL on June 9th, meaning he could make that start.

Shane Bieber is also on a rehab assignment, making a start in the Florida Complex League on May 25th, then another one with the Single-A D-Jays on May 31st. His next start, which looks like it’ll be Saturday, will be with the Bisons. Getting at least two of these starters back would be huge for the Blue Jays and their bullpen.

Right now, the Blue Jays have Connor Seabold, Hayden Juenger, Yariel Rodríguez, and Adam Macko on the 26-man roster. None of those four pitchers, aside from maybe Macko, were projected to be in a Blue Jays bullpen at it’s best heading into the season.

The good news is that the Jays could have a high-leverage option returning, as Yimi García will throw an inning on Wednesday with the D-Jays. García had already begun a rehab assignment in early May, but was shut down after just two outings.

It’s been 11 months since he last pitched for the Jays, so getting a high-leverage reliever back is great news, especially with Jeff Hoffman’s weird season. They could also be getting a low-leverage reliever back, as Tommy Nance is expected to appear in Friday’s Triple-A game.

As he’s done throughout his Blue Jays’ tenure, Nance has quietly put together a strong season, authoring a 3.86 ERA and 2.46 FIP in 21 innings pitched over 20 outings this season. Owning a K% of 29.4%, only Mason Fluharty (32.1%), Louis Varland (35%) and Hoffman (36.6%) have a higher K%.

The Blue Jays currently sit 29-31 and begin a three-game series with the first-placed Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. If they wish to go on a run like they did last season, getting healthy is a big step forward.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply