Before this evening’s game against the Orioles, the Blue Jays reinstated right-hander Thomas Hatch from the 60-day injured list. He was promptly optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. To create 40-man roster space, lefty Ryan Borucki was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.
Hatch hasn’t appeared in the majors this year. A right elbow impingement landed him on the IL to begin the season, and his eventual rehab assignment had to be briefly halted by side tightness. The 26-year-old has made six rehab starts with the Bisons, tossing 19 1/3 frames with a strong 2.79 ERA but less impressive strikeout and walk rates (20.2% and 10.7%, respectively). Hatch worked as a reliever for the big league club last season, pitching 26 1/3 innings with a 2.73 ERA/4.80 SIERA. Nevertheless, the Toronto front office has spoken of keeping him stretched out in Triple-A as potential rotation depth.
Borucki, on the other hand, broke in as a starter but has worked exclusively in relief over the past two years. He tossed 13 1/3 innings of 4.05 ERA/3.23 SIERA ball before landing on the IL on May 11 with a flexor strain in his forearm.
Today’s transfer rules Borucki out for 60 days from that original IL placement. It’s essentially a procedural move, as the left-hander will be eligible to return this weekend. Borucki has progressed to throwing live batting practice and could embark on a rehab assignment of his own this week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet recently noted.
Hatch is a really interesting piece for the jays could be exactly what they need in the pen. If the gosh darn injury bug could just leave them alone for a bit the jays could go back to having a nasty bullpen but never gonna happen. Thankfully shatkins keeps getting useful pieces for the pen that have control
Did you read it though? Says they are stretching him out for rotation depth.
Ya for now but down the stench it will all depend on where they need him the most as I believe they don’t want to mess with Pearson so if they need more bullpen help after deadline instead of starters I think hatch is the #1 option currently
bigdaddyt- I sure hope you’re wrong when you say ‘down the stench’, unless you meant the stench of a good ol’ bush party
They’re stretching him out to increase their options. A stretched out pitcher can step in as a reliever or a starter. A reliever, however, is a reliever.
Sure except their bullpen kinda sucks right now even with the recent additions. Would’ve thought they’d like him back ASAP.
A multi-inning reliever can be stretched out as a starter when the need arises. Unfortunately teams don’t seem willing to do that anymore, because they’re convinced a guy can only throw 10 more pitches each outing or his arm will fall off.
Your first sentence is wrong
Nice. Sucks they burned an option though, they could’ve put him on another rehab assignment, couldn’t they? He’d get about 3 starts out of that, although idk how I feel about having him stretched out this year.
Hatch was put on rehab assignment on May 20. He’s at more than 2 weeks past the 30 day max. And since he didn’t get Tommy John surgery he’s not eligible for renewal.
Yeah but he got hurt on the rehab assignment. Didn’t realize there was a rule about Tommy John and rehab assignments lol. Sounds sketchy
This is a good move. Hatch needs to be in the bigs to learn his craft as soon as possible.
Borucki needs to bulk up again. He is out of shape. Losing that muscle mass has put his soft tissue and structure at risk with his max effort relief pitching. Not good.
Borucki could be a very good starter eventually if he stayed in shape and kept working out of the rotation.
#trainerEyeZ
#scoutzeyez
All jokes aside, I agree with you this time jimmer
The Jays pitching is getting healthy again. Plus trades for Cimber and Richards are giving them a lot more options out of the pen.
Still think they need that one dominant guy to pair with Romano on the back end though. Depth gets you to the playoffs… but in the playoffs you really lean on your top pitchers.
A clear #3 starter and dominant late inning reliever should be the priority if they can stay in the playoff hunt this month.
They be able to do both with one move.
Ie bring in a starter and move one of their rotation arms to the bullpen. A month ago I would have said move Stripling to the pen, at this point not sure who it would be? Maybe Matz?
Is Pearson going to be a viable option this year?
Best case, Pearson could be a bullpen option in the middle of August.
About 2 weeks too late. Hatch was ready for the bullpen either as a 2-3 inning arm or the 8th inning guy. Had 7 starts in AAA and should have been up after 4 to help the team. Jays needed him.
You can’t control innings in the majors the same way you can in the minors. They have zero rotation depth, hatch needs to be stretched out in case they need rotation help.
Awful excuse(s) and take. Jays are contending for a playoff berth and you leave a guy who’d be one of your best relievers in the minors when he was ready. Control innings? He was built up two weeks ago. Your excuses are good for a 4th place team. Jays need wins. All hands on-deck.
Lol I’m not sure why I bother with you. Every time you comment you act like you know everything but it’s quite clear you’ve never played baseball and have no understanding of the game or the business side.
If they don’t stretch out hatch, and Matz or Ryu gets hurt, who starts? Who’s your rotation depth? Thornton and Kay? that’s going to keep them from being a fourth place team then? Yah thought so. Another hot take.
Maybe you should go back to arguing that Moreno got hurt because they didn’t promote him. lol. Ever notice that no one ever agrees with your crappy takes? Maybe it’s a sign that you should try and think differently and not be such a complete homer
Dusty- homers that have tantrums over signings like Rob Ray and Marcus Semien while pining for the class act that is Trevor Bauer.
Well, Hatch threw eighty two pitches in last night’s game and was very sharp. Maybe one more start and he’s up with the Jays. Merryweather could be up in two weeks, which if he can stay uninjured would be a considerable help. Will the presently tanking Cubs be tantalized by Blue Jays prospect depth and flip Kimbrel for a taste of the near future? The next few weeks will be interesting. Here’s hoping Shatkins and company have something up their sleeves.
Dolis needs to become last year’s Dolis.
Dolis could be any Dolis he likes, he would still pale in comparison to getting a Kimbrel of many years gone by. If there is a palatable cost to getting him, the Jays need to splurge on a big weapon for the bullpen.
A back end of Kimbrel, Romano, Merryweather with Borucki for lefties would be Elite
Kimbrel is coming off two terrible years. As far as we know, he may have done all his great pitching for this year already and be terrible the rest of the way. I’m not fond of giving up top prospects for a one inning reliever in his mid-30s with a recent erratic history.
And what’s with everybody calling Merryweather elite? The guy has good stuff, but 4 innings doesn’t make a 29 year old who struggled in the minors (and was erratic in the majors last year) into an elite pitcher. There’s tons of guys with great stuff who don’t pan out. To me, he’s basically Anthony Castro.
Merryweather has not established elite status and Kimberly is no guarantee to stay on the roll he’s on. But not every glass can be half full. You need conviction in some path to improving a club otherwise you grow old standing pat and hoping for the best there. I’m not suggesting they trade for Kimbrel by emptying the war chest. His history isn’t erratic. His recent history was getting injured and taking a long time to recover. His history further back was being beyond elite. His current status is getting older, having an option on his contract and throwing like he’s a young man again.
So long as he doesn’t have a NTC and is demanding a 3 or 4 year extension it is worth trying hard up to a point to acquire his services. Lots of pitchers have injury red flags attached but a staff needs someone to take the ball. Biggest concern about Kimbrel is that he hasn’t delivered in postseason action with much reliability.
Cubs should put a flyer out on this guy. Oh wait…that’s right, they discarded him for nothing already. *sigh*
Right now the Jays starting rotation is looking pretty good and hopefully they stay healthy. Whats really scary is the bullpen, you just never know who’s up when called upon, and with this three batter rule, in close games the bullpen is in deep trouble. Couple of suggestions, bring Pearson back up and work him out of the pen for the remainder of the season, he’s a horse and in middle relief could give you 2 or 3 innings, and maybe rebuild his confidence.
Now for the scary part. The Jays need a proven closer, Over the years they had the terminator and Ozuna but since its rare to see a starter go the distance you need someone coming out every other day or sometimes every day and facing those last 3 or 4 batters. And just how many proven closer’s are their out there, they have come rare. Yankee’s aren’t about to give up Chapman anytime soon, so food for thought David Price, he’s pitching for the Dodgers although they seem to be using him more in relief, he’s been in 23 games this season but only started in 3. He was 4 wins 0 loses and 1 save with an era of 3.58. He has pitched successfully in the past out of the pen as a closer. His contract is huge but the bulk of it is being payed by Boston, so if Jays could pick up the part that Dodges are paying him, the Jays would get a closer who could also start and someone that liked playing for the Jays and who the Jays liked.
The Jays do not need a proven closer. Romano is doing great. No sense overpaying for the closer title, just get somebody good.
Pearson is out at least another month plus, expect him in the pen after that since there’s no time to stretch him out anyway. I wouldn’t bet on him making it back at all this season though.
I agree Romano has done a great job but lets face it the rest of the bullpen is hope and prey. If they were to add Price for example they would get him for 16 mil because Boston is on the hook for the bulk of his contract. and with him the Jays would get a proven closer, or a long relief out of the pen and also a proven starter and they would have him under contract thru 2022.
To me its a lot of pluses and fills several parts of their wish list. I think Dodgers would be interested, I don’t think they really wanted Price but it was part of the conditions to get Betts
Proven closers always cost more than proven setup guys, even when they not as good at getting people out. It’s a waste of resources. You can probably get two setup guys for the price of a closer, when all three are equally effective.
I basically looked at Price, as a possibility. First I don’t think Dodgers really wanted him but taking him was a condition of them getting Betts.
Boston is picking up the bulk of his contract, Dodgers are paying him 16 mil while Boston has more then the remaining over 50%. He has two years left in his contract.
Dodgers are using him in relief he has only had two starts this year, so unless with Bauer out he moves into the rotation, he’s a player they are using sparingly.
Jays would pick up a pitcher who has pitched as a closer in the past successfully. You move Romano to the set up man and Price to Closer and you have a Ward/Henke combination. You also have two pitchers that can both close. In addition Price can fill the role of a starter when called on.
Price is definitely needed to log some innings for the Dodgers, Kershaw also out. He needs to find a groove still, not very appealing, many baserunners. Look beyond him?
Dbacks finally won a couple games and have a Soria that is starting to find a groove and certain to be moved. Twins have a couple arms and gotta be close to making moves.
Draft helps answer some questions surrounding big picture needs, teams will be making their moves very soon!
Seattle built a pretty sweet bullpen for peanuts after their expected closer was a flop. An expensive arm isn’t necessarily the answer. But if a Kimbrel is too expensive for teams close to the luxury tax threshold, then the Jays might be able to find a bargain. Maybe they get in on the Rich Rodriguez bidding. Some exciting options beyond Price.
I agree there are others out there that would be cheaper, What I was looking at is his era is still low he’s pitched in about 30 games both as a starter and middle relief and closer. He still the remainder of this year and next under contract and which time I think he’ll retire.
I just felt that what he offered the Jays was a completely proven multi use pitcher, starter (when needed) middle relief, and proven closer. Plus the fact he always said he loved playing with the Jays and the fans liked him as did the team..
So the Jays would get all this for about 24 mil to the end of 2022.
I don’t mean cheaper, Rich Rodriguez or Kimbrel would cost more than Price I would imagine. Lots of better options for getting outs. The flexibility that Price would provide isn’t worth that cost, guys that limit teams to 1 baserunner per inning would be ideal. Getting a save against the Rockies doesn’t make a closer.
The team liking him previously would suggest that the Braves might want to make a push for him. Many of the fans that liked him previously stopped liking him after he teased the Jays to sign with to the highest bidder. He even broke Stro’s heart, not sure he has stopped pouting since Price got his hopes up that they would be besties forever.
To clarify, I would like a Price add if it was like when the Jays got Liriano from Pirates, with a prospect included to convince Jays to take on the salary.
I’m not suggesting Price is the only option, but the Jays say they want pitching, and here is a pitcher that has two years left on his contract, has been in about 30 games this year has a decent era, As for the save this year I never gave that any thought I’m referring to when he pitched as a closer for Boston and Tampa.
As for Stroman , and Price, Stroman is the Nuke La Lush of MLB. See’s himself as better then he is and doesn’t know enough to keep his mouth shut. And Price declared free agency, and took the best monetary offer, and despite the so-called fans in Boston he was the best pitcher they had because Sales can’t get through a complete season.
However the trade deadline is coming so there maybe some other prospects avalaible. I don’t think the Jays are going to post season unless they really catch fire, they can’t win 4 or 5 and then lose 3 and expect to make it but I don’t think they should be sellers either. The core is there they are young and locked in place for a number of years yet.
Price did well today! Dodgers probably keep him unless they get Kershaw and Bauer back before July ends?
Well given the way MLB investigated Domestic Violence cases, Bauer won’t be back this season. MLB tends to drag these out (ie Ozuna) for 60 or 70 games then say admit to it and the time you missed is your suspension. As for Kershaw who knows when he’ll get back so your right Dodgers will likely keep Price now, He’s not the Price of his glory days but he’s still reliable and the era is pretty decent.