The Blue Jays announced they’ve placed third baseman Cavan Biggio on the 10-day injured list with a cervical spine ligament sprain. Additionally, lefty Anthony Kay and righty Jeremy Beasley were optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. To replace that trio on the active roster, infielder Joe Panik and reliever Anthony Castro were each reinstated from the IL, while righty Ty Tice was recalled from Buffalo.
Biggio’s IL placement is the most impactful of today’s spate of transactions. The 26-year-old has started 35 of Toronto’s first 42 games, with the bulk of his work coming at the hot corner. It’s been a difficult start to the year for Biggio, who has just a .205/.315/.315 slash with three homers across 151 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from the cumulative .240/.368/.430 mark (118 wRC+) he put up between 2019-20. Biggio’s impeccable plate discipline has remained intact, but he’s made contact on a career-worst 72% of his swings this season. (The league average contact rate is 75.2%). It’s no coincidence he’s striking out at a career-high 31.1% clip.
Panik and Santiago Espinal look like the best bets to handle third in Biggio’s absence. Neither has offered much offensively over the past few years, so the Jays will be anxious for Biggio’s return. It seems reasonable to expect him back in the short-term, as Scott Mitchell of TSN tweets that Biggio’s been playing through some neck stiffness recently and the team hopes a “few days” of rest will get him past the issue.
Kay has started four of his five appearances this season. He’s been hit around for a 6.62 ERA, although his peripherals suggest he’s been a bit unlucky to allow so many runs. Kay has stranded an unsustainably low 64.7% of baserunners and opposing hitters have managed a lofty .356 batting average on balls in play against him. A few more batted balls finding gloves and/or better sequencing could’ve resulted in an ERA closer to Kay’s 4.38 SIERA. Returning to the minors will give him a chance to work on his control; the lefty has walked a too-high 12.3% of batters faced this year.
The Jays will run a bullpen game to take Kay’s spot in the rotation for now, manager Charlie Montoyo said (via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). Top prospects Nate Pearson and Alek Manoah are each performing well in Triple-A, though, and Kay’s demotion will only fuel speculation one or both of the vaunted young arms could get a look in the big leagues relatively soon. Pearson, of course, made a brief big league debut last season, while Manoah is pitching above A-ball for the first time this year.
Baseball has its 20,000 player Jose Godoy though Baseball Reference lists him as number
19,998. Will Manfred have to settle this controversy!!??
Only after he gives everyone immunity.
I thought the same thing, then I saw 2 other players were brought up for the first time on the same day (they are all listed as 19,998th). Godoy was the last of the 3 promoted that day, so he is the 20th. Pretty cool!
Pearson needs more time to get sorted out. Alek Manoah had a great spring training and has performed well at Triple A. It’s time to bring him up. If they don’t think he is ready they need to acquire a starter.
Agreed. The wear and tear on my the bullpen is starting to show. The starters need to go deeper more often
Really starting to feel like this may not be the Jays year. They might be able to steal a wild card spot, but I don’t see a deep playoff run yet. Way too unlucky with injuries this year (Springer, Merryweather and many others), plus lower than expected performance (Bichette, Gurriel, Biggio) makes this team seem really average (83-85 wins is my bet.) Semien, Vladdy and Ryu have been insane though, so there’s some bright spots. Need to add another frontline starter and one more bat, either at deadline or FA. Once they do that, with better injury luck next year, I believe they can with the east.
Bichette is 30th in MLB by Fangraphs WAR right now. Top 5 SS in most offensive categories. If this is lower than expected than I think it’s the expectations that were the problem… not Bo’s numbers.
Agree with the injury luck and adding a starter comments though. A trade is unlikely this early in the season… but if they did pull one off and either Pearson or Manoah worked out then this team could be really good. The offence is pretty special.
I’d say Bichette’s season is as expected. Some inconsistency on defense, good hitting. Tellez can be added to the list instead. We knew starting pitching would be a problem.
Starting to feel this is not the Jays year? Huh?
It wasn’t the Jays year from spring training on when Shapiro and Atkins didn’t acquire 2 quality starting pitchers, one elite and one a #3. Then there was the bonehead move of ignoring the medical reports on Kirby Yates and the contract couldn’t be insured due to previous injury. Or how about the totally stupid trade for Stripling that was called so at the time?
Injuries are going to happen. Championship teams work through them.
The Toronto Blue Jays will never win, repeat never win, a world Series with Shapiro and Atkins at the helm.
Shapiro did an elite job on renovations in Dunedin and managing the Covid “where do we play” mess.
Wow Jimmy good take as usual. All that negativity about management yet they brought in 2 elite level position players to shore up the defence brought in 2 starters (Ray and Matz) put together an elite level pen despite missing 2 late inning options in Merryweather and Yates, along with almost everyone in the pen hitting the 10 day IL at some point so far this season. But no your right Shatkins is the problem. Going back to last years deadline it was obvious that they were going with pure talent on the pitchers they got (stripling, Walker and Ray) and just hoped 1 or 2 of them would pay off. Which you could argue 2 out of 3 did
Daddy, the goal is to win NOW. Not build, or compete bla, bla, bla.
I comment about executive decisions that will prevent the BlueJays from winning NOW.
Incidentally I hope it is clear to you and everyone who comments on the Jays, that the real goal of Shapiro is long term job security not building a winning this year club. He is not in the league of a Gillick, Cashman, or Dombrowski..
I leave the positive fluff comments that mean nothing for others to say.
I disagree Jimmer. Jays needed 3 pitchers and not 2. They got 2 and didn’t go after the one pitcher they needed (we know who that is, and he’s pitching like an ace).
2003 and 2006 all over again, leaving Ryu (Halladay) out to dry.
Robbie Ray in May: 35 K, 1 BB. That is better than expected!
The 1 walk is insane to me. What a turn around
Ryu and Ray then time to pray.
Jesus my boys from Stony Brook aren’t doin too well…..
Biggio was starting to turn it around .. bad timing. What’s been up with Gurriel as well to start the season ..
Gurriel has been coming around nicely the last few weeks. He’s too good of a hitter, hopefully he can get back to healthy and continue the good ABs
Biggio’s eye improved, but he hasn’t been getting any hits. I think a few rehab games in AAA could help him turn it around. Give him a week’s rest, then 3 rehab games maybe.
Apparently the rash of injuries for the Buffalo Blue Jays has been traced to a single cause – all the players want to be placed on the IL so they don’t have to play baseball in front of booing fans every game. All of Buffalo’s games in Florida are in front of other teams’ fans. Did anyone watch the Red Sox series in Florida? Stands full of Sox fans.. Buffalo had no fans at all there. LOL!!
So the Red Sox will play in front of full home crowds at Fenway, after home games in Dunedin, and also will play in front of home crowds in Buffalo. Upstate NY has way more Sox fans than Buffalo Blue Jays fans. LOL!!!
Cool story man
EL OH EL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nobody Panik!
Maybe Jose Urias from MIL
I have no idea what “cervical spine ligament sprain” means. Anybody?
The cervical spine consists of the discs at the very top of the spine; the ones that start at the base of the skull and continue down through the neck. Ligaments are the connective tissue that hold the discs in place. A sprain often occurs when there’s hyper extension of the ligament.
Sitting here watching the Jays playing Boston,. Jays had a 4 run lead and Montoyo pulls Stripling after the 6th, no problem, but for the life of me why are they putting in Chatsworth, this is the 2nd outing where he’s come in with a nice comfortable lead and he totally blows it.
You watch him pitch and whatever his problem is right now he couldn’t hit his locker with is glove, surely to god they must have some relievers in Buffalo better then this guy.