Matt Shoemaker has a torn left ACL that will keep him out of action for the rest of the 2019 season, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Blue Jays right-hander was placed on the 10-day IL earlier today after suffering the injury during Saturday’s game. What was initially thought to be a knee sprain is evidently much worse than expected, and Shoemaker finds himself on the shelf in what seems to be the worst-case scenario.
The diagnosis comes as the latest in a frustrating set of seasons for Shoemaker, who managed just 21 starts in his final two seasons with the Angels. After he was unable to replicate the success that he enjoyed in 2014, his first full Major League season, the 32-year-old signed on with the Blue Jays last winter on a one-year deal, hoping that a change of scenery would coincide with a return to strength and a comeback season.
The news is that much more devastating when considered in context with Shoemaker’s extensive injury history and his early-season success with his new club. Through his first five starts of the young season, Shoemaker impressed his new organization and looked in position to make good on that return to form. His 1.57 ERA was accompanied by impressive peripheral numbers, with his 0.9 HR/9 on par with his best seasons. Unfortunately, though, 2019 will go down as another lost season for the veteran righty.
Of course, the injury is equally disappointing for the Blue Jays, who looked to Shoemaker to provide stability in a rotation that was one of the weakest in the American League last season. Entering the season, there were plenty of questions in the rotation, with Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez both enduring disappointing seasons in 2018 and free-agent signee Clay Buchholz a relative unknown. The depth beyond that group of veterans is comprised of unproven young pitchers, one of whom will now have to step into the rotation in Shoemaker’s absence. Thomas Pannone and Sam Gaviglio, who started 24 games for Toronto in 2018, appear most likely to replace Shoemaker.
Though his contract will expire at season’s end, Shoemaker is still eligible for arbitration, so the Blue Jays will have priority to keep the hurler around for next season if both parties are interested, though his contractual status is surely the last thing on Shoemaker’s mind following his injury.
There goes one of few bright spots about the Jays season so far..
Blue Jays a embarrassment to MLB.
You’re an embarrassment to the human race.
Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast!
FOR those of you who continuously say DH to the NL because pitchers aren’t used to batting and they could get hurt running, you want the pitcher to not be able to Field now too right? Because Shoemaker was hurt in a run down so surely by your logic and to keep pitchers safe you want them to not Field now right?
No you dummy, Shoemaker is simply made of glass.
Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart.
Interesting, so the Yankees should be an embarrassment to the entire sport of baseball, based on their all star roster of injured players.
How exactly are the Jays an embarrassment?
You’re an idiot
At least it’s not the Angels problem
There have actually been a lot of bright spots. Plus they just took 3 of 4 from the Twins and swept the A’s on the road.
Thots and prayers
Thots?
exactly
Richard Lovelady sends his thots.
I predicted him for comeback player of the year. Tough break.
Way to go. You jinxed him.
You mean tough tear.
This must be very hard for you.
that’s what she said.
Damn…
You gotta be kidding. Love this dude. Hope for the best
That really sucks for him, he was doing so well and you could clearly tell he was so frustrated yesterday when he got hurt
Should he have been happy?
Time to bring up Vlad jr!!!!!
yep… cause he can pitch…
Urena was the corresponding move when Shoemaker was put on the injured list. Save your hilarious attitude.
Vlad can do anything he wants.
this is bad news, jays are playing great of late, wondering if reid foley gonna get called up.
Hes been awful in AAA. Gaviglio or Pannone will be replacing him
Gio
yup. thats what i was thinking. sounds like something the jays would do for sure
What a shame
I do love me a George Miller cliffhanger
Really rough hand to be dealt, dude was cruising.
this guy has less then 0 luck
Too bad, but predictable
Yes because the next thing to do after getting TJ surgery is always ACLs. What a stupid comment
Tough luck but predictable.
Adding to Shoemaker’s woes, Sanchez fingernail was broken today on the mound. No blister though. I hear his hands are very soft and won’t take much abuse. He needs to do some farming or something,.I had Sanchez for a big year.
At least the Jays still have Stroman, Buckholz, Reid Foley and Thornton. What do you think 35 wins combined for all these guys?
lol you think wins for SP are important. Now that’s predictable.
lol you think you think they’re not important because you’re a swallowbot and have to post that inanity whenever reasonable people are discussing starters’ wins. Now that’s predictable.
It’s not even debatable. They aren’t important at all. Isn’t a single damn GM in the game the last 10 years that even looks at them. Face it, you’re wrong the nerds won get over it and stop using stats that stop being revelant in the 80s. Game has changed
the best pitchers have, always have had, and always will have, the most wins, and the best winning % over team winning %, over their careers.
Your koolade has failed you young one.
While that’s typically true, it’s still not a good way to value pitchers. DeGrom was far and away the best pitcher in baseball last year yet he only finished one game above .500. Like a lot of stats, a pitchers record shows you absolutely nothing by itself.
felix hernandez won his cy young with a sub .500 record
“over their careers.” 🙂
There’s more to what Jimmer said than the W. It’s going deep in games, not allowing your bullpen to be overused, hitters need to hit etc.
If your starting pitcher can’t go deep or keep the other team off the scoreboard, hard to win games. Also hard to win games as a pitcher from the IL.
Yup.
It has to do with what makes up a championship calibre starting rotation. Exactly as trim said. It’s easy to spot when the big picture is looked at.
Plus for all those who don’t value wins, it takes wins to win a division and move through the playoffs. Without wins in the starting rotation, the team is not championship calibre.
For example, the 2018 Boston Red Sox had 61 wins from it’s starting rotation the New York Yankees had 60, The Toronto Blue Jays had 32.
A worse team is going to have less wins but that doesn’t mean it was the SP’s fault. There is situational pitching but jacob Degrom won 10 games last year and was the NL Cy Young. Wins don’t show much.
I don’t care if Jacob Degrom wins the Cy with 10 wins. It’s irrelevant. The Mets won nothing as a team and that is all that matters to true GM types.
If Degrom is only winning 10 games in the big picture that means there are many holes in the lineup both offensively and defensively and perhaps a crappy bullpen. My only measurement is a team championship calibre measurement.
Look at the big picture: unless a starting rotation can accumulate 60 wins+ the team has little chance of winning a championship,.It is big picture thinking not individual stats focus.
Bigz that is why I referenced hitters; your team has to give you run support. That is obvious.
Excellent starting pitching always puts your team in a position to win. There was no reason to attack Jimmer’s comment about the starting pitching except that people on this site do not like him.
Pretty sure you either had Sanchez or Stroman having a big year but the other one will flop. Glad to see ms Cleo’s offspring moving on. Rip to your mom. I called her once and after 22 guesses she finally guessed my dead grandfathers name she’s a psychic just like you. Keep carrying on the tradition of pretending to be something you aren’t.
Let’s wait to at least the trade deadline to measure my calls. Thank you.
who did you “hear” his hands wont take much abuse from? or did you just come to that conclusion based on his chronic blister and fingernail issues like the rest of us did?
Actually I have seen his hands up close [but not personal].
And if you recall I was calling last year as a lost year even before it started for Sanchez.
and you can tell by seeing his hands that they wont be able to take much abuse? oh man, ive heard it all now. And what was t
your basis for predicting sanchez’ lost year last year? your insider connections? or do you just throw so much crap to the wall that some of it is bound to stick?
Iron, A lot seems to stick in case you haven’t noticed.
As for your question, his lost year was based on having an inside contact in the organization who disagreed with the Jays diagnosis of his finger issues. If you noticed, Sanchez this year went away from the Jays sport science team and hired his own and also hired his own picthing “consultant.
As for looking as his hands, if you have been in the baseball world at all, it is easy to look at a rough pair of hands and know they will hold up and easy to look at a soft or fragile pairs of hands ans see that they won’t. That’s part of a scout’s gifting.
Breaking: Shoemaker traded to the Yankees.
I hear their IL All-Star team only needs a few more players to make a full 25.
This dude can just not stay healthy. It’s too bad, he’s a really solid pitcher who probably could have worked his way into a multi-year deal had he even made 25 starts.
What a tough break for such a good guy. He worked so hard to make it from undrafted to MLB.
time to replace all artificial turfs with real grass.
How would getting rid of artificial turf have prevented this? The injury happened in Oakland.
And on the infield dirt to boot.
it’s the caked dirt of oco below sea level!
Maybe we should just blame Gruden.
Jays are 11-12 right now and 3.5 back of the Rays. With Vlad and potentially more on the way let’s get crazy with it!!!
Gio signs a minor league deal. After the amateur draft, Dallas Keuchel signs for 1 year, $10 mil (approx amount they’ve saved moving Pillar, Morales, Martin) taking into account he’s only going to pitch less than half a year in 2019. Jays shock the world and get the 2nd wildcard… 🙂
(Go ahead, hit me with your worst)
In other news, air traffic controllers all over the world are scrambling to figure out how to contend with the herds of flying pigs clogging up the airspace. Experts have discovered the only remedy to prove effective to keep all that swine on the ground is to feed them a steady diet of coldbeer. Ice. Coooooooold. Beeeeeeeeer.
Your worst is very disappointing.
“True Yankee” status.
Thank you Eric Sogard for running to the wrong base. Had you did your job Shoemaker does not get involved in the play.
Cut Sogard, promote Vlad. Before you disagree, nobody will remember Sogard beyond this year. Do what is right for the future.
This guy just can’t stay healthy. Pretty sure this ends his career unfortunately
Once an Angels pitcher, always injured. Matt Harvey is a perfect fit for that team!!
Bet the blue jays wish they hadn’t punted their season, with the way the Yankees and Sox have started.
The Jays can kick themselves in August if the standings look like this. It’s verrrry early to be drawing many conclusions on the current standings. Or the Jays’ pitching.
What a shame. Shoe is a good pitcher with a great story but has been plagued with injuries.
ask the players who pitch their opinion if wins matter. as a fan, id like to know. I’m like to know what nolan Ryan or Pedro Martinez thinks
Poor dude cannot catch a break.
People questioned why the Angels didn’t hold onto him and this is why. He has a ton of potential, but is made of glass.
Maybe he thinks he is still on the Angels