Erik Swanson To Undergo MRI For Elbow Discomfort

Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson has been shut down with some elbow discomfort and is slated for an MRI, reports Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. The further testing will shed some light on the next steps but Zwelling relays that Swanson is likely to begin the season on the injured list.

Time will tell how concerning this development is, but it’s always a bit scary when a pitcher’s elbow is a focus. It’s also the second straight spring with such a concern for Swanson. This time last year, Swanson first had to leave the club after his son was struck by a car. Once his son had recovered, the righty was slowed in camp by some forearm tightness. His MRI at that time didn’t reveal any structural damage but he did start the season on the injured list.

Swanson was able to be reinstated by mid-April but struggled badly. He had allowed 14 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings by the end of May and was optioned to Triple-A. He did finish strong, getting recalled at the end of June and posting a 2.81 earned run average over his final 25 2/3 innings.

Acquired from the Mariners as part of the Teoscar Hernández trade going into 2023, Swanson had a 2.97 ERA in his first season as a Blue Jay. He struck out 28.6% of batters faced while giving out walks at an 8% clip. He racked up 29 holds and four saves in that time. He was surely expected to play a key role in the bullpen last year until his forearm issue and early-season struggles. The strong finish left some optimism that he could get back on track in 2025, but now this latest elbow discomfort casts an ominous shadow.

The Toronto bullpen should look very different this year compared to 2024. Former closer Jordan Romano had even more significant injury troubles than Swanson last year and was non-tendered at season’s end. Génesis Cabrera, last year’s team leader in relief innings, was outrighted and elected free agency. Trevor Richards and Nate Pearson were flipped at last year’s deadline.

Ahead of 2025, the club signed Jeff Hoffman, re-signed Yimi García and acquired Nick Sandlin in the Andrés Giménez deal. Those three and holdover Chad Green should take most of the high leverage work for the Jays. Swanson would have been in that group as well but he seemingly won’t be an option, at least for the start of the season and perhaps longer, depending on what the MRI machine finds.

Assuming Swanson misses some time, the Jays will have to figure out who gets his bullpen opportunities. Assuming Yariel Rodríguez winds up in a long relief role, the Jays should have three spots alongside Hoffman, Green, García and Sandlin. None of those guys are lefties, so the Jays might lean towards having a southpaw or two. They have Brendon Little, Josh Walker and Easton Lucas on the 40-man. Richard Lovelady is also in camp as a non-roster invitee. Other righties on the roster include Tommy Nance, Zach Pop, Ryan Burr and Nick Robertson. Zwelling lists some pitchers that are impressing in camp so far, with some of the aforementioned players as well as NRIs Kevin Gowdy and Braydon Fisher. If the Jays decide to make an external addition to this group, some notable unsigned relievers include David Robertson, Craig Kimbrel and Phil Maton.