The Blue Jays are placing veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt on the 15-day injured list due to low back inflammation, per a team announcement. The move is retroactive to September 19. Left-hander Mason Fluharty was recalled to the roster to take Bassitt’s place. The right-hander will be eligible to be activated from the shelf on October 3, meaning that a minimum stint would allow him to pitch Game 1 of the ALDS. Toronto is on the verge of clinching a spot in the postseason and is an overwhelming favorite to secure a bye through the Wild Card series, though he would be unavailable for that series on the off chance the Blue Jays fail to secure one of the top two seeds in the American League this year.
Bassitt, 36, has turned in a solid season in 2025 that’s generally consistent with his years of work as a solid mid-to-back of the rotation starter. While the right-hander made his big league debut in 2014 and made occasional appearances with the White Sox and A’s over the first few years of his career, it wasn’t until his age-30 season in 2019 when he broke out as a regular starter with the Athletics. In seven years since then, Bassitt has pitched to a 3.60 ERA (116 ERA+) with a 3.94 FIP across 1087 1/3 innings of work with the A’s, Mets, and Blue Jays. In that time, he’s made an All-Star appearance and finished in the top 10 of Cy Young award voting on three separate occasions.
As he’s entered his mid thirties, Bassitt’s effectiveness has dwindled somewhat. After posting an ERA+ of 130 from 2018-2021, that figure has dropped to a less impressive 110 since his age-33 season back in 2022. He’s made up for that dip in production by offering impressive durability, however. In each of the past four seasons, Bassitt has made at least 30 starts and thrown at least 170 innings. His 723 innings of work over the past four years trails only Logan Webb, Framber Valdez, and teammate Kevin Gausman in all of baseball.
With such an impeccable track record of durability in recent years, it goes without saying that Bassitt heading to the shelf is somewhat unusual. Fortunately, this particularly IL stint should have little negative impact on the Jays so long as he manages to return healthy and effective after a minimum stay on the shelf. As previously mentioned, the Blue Jays are all but guaranteed not only a playoff spot, but a bye through the Wild Card round of the playoffs at this point in the calendar.
Even in the unlikely scenario where they are forced to play in the Wild Card series, Gausman would surely take the ball for Game 1 with Shane Bieber as the heavy favorite to start Game 2. While it’s possible Bassitt’s number would’ve come up in a hypothetical Game 3, the Jays will still be able to turn to any of Jose Berrios, Trey Yesavage, Max Scherzer, and Eric Lauer for that game as needed, particularly given the fact that they can rest assured that Bassitt will be in line to take the ball for Game 1 of the ALDS barring any setbacks that force him to stay on the shelf beyond the minimum stint.
Berrios was moved to the bullpen earlier this week, and Lauer has been pitching in relief of late as well. Scherzer has been effective in most of his starts for the Jays, but a seven-run blow-up outing where he recorded just two outs his last time out raises some concerns. Yesavage is unproven with just one big league appearance under his belt, but has pedigree has a top prospect and looked dominant in his MLB debut earlier this week. None of those options seem as reliable as Bassitt, and if his stay on the shelf extends beyond a minimum stay that would be a real blow to the Jays’ depth ahead of the playoffs. Manager John Schneider told reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet) today that they’re waiting on further testing to determine an exact course of action with Bassit, but that it will “hopefully” be a “fairly quick” turnaround for the righty.
In the meantime, Bassitt will be replaced on the active roster by Fluharty. The rookie left-hander has made 51 appearances with the Blue Jays this year and has pitched to a 4.94 ERA with a 4.35 FIP across 47 1/3 innings of work. Fluharty is unlikely to get many high leverage opportunities given his shaky numbers, but once the Blue Jays officially clinch his presence on the roster could provide Toronto with another fresh arm so they can lean less heavily on their top relievers ahead of the postseason.
So does that put Berrios back in the rotation after the post we saw earlier?
Maybe they just go with a piggyback game where Lauer and Berrios each go 3 innings.
Pull the starter who’s pitching great super early in the game so you can increase the chances of finding a pitcher who’s having a bad day. Wouldn’t be the first time they’ve employed that playoff strategy.
The sane thing to do is have a very short leash for someone who’s showing signs of struggling, but allow a starter who’s throwing well to get his hundred pitches in.
Rut row for the Boo Jay’s. Caving at just the right time with Bronx Bombers breathing down their neck!
Or they like to have 2 lefty in the pen and after getting rid of bouruki for Trey they are phantom IL a 36 year old to have him for the DS ( if needed )and keeping 2 left options for the pen .
That sounds like a bad risk tbh
whats the point to send Berrios to the bullpen?? it should be Scherzer after that Uggly start yesterday
Berrios has been pretty bad in the 2nd half. The guy can’t go through a lineup a 3rd time, and has been imploding more often than not. I’d still rather have Scherzer in the lineup.
“Berrios was moved to the bullpen earlier this week…”
Wasn’t that today? Maybe yesterday?
So Berrios is back in the rotation?
After last night, IKF gets my vote.
I love this move. It rests our potential #3 and gives a runway for Trey to audition.
It’s super interesting, I was thinking about this when they got Beiber and now it’s probably true to some extend for Trey , but I could not think of a 1st place team where in my mind so much of their potential success in Oct is relying on a pitcher coming back from TJ from outside the ORG being able to snap back to front of rotation type arm to pitch probably gm2 but at the time of trade it was possible gm 1 , Hopefully Gaus can stay hot , looking like 22,23 Gausman and give a legit gm 1 start .
So is it pronounced “YAY-savage!” or “yeh-sav-AGE” or “YAY-SAVE-AGE” … I think there are a multitude of variations actually. Has me flummoxed. Maybe I need to hear how Kevin Barker says it.
Ye-savage
Toronto “on the verge of clinching”? Hah! As of Sunday morning 9/21 no American League team has clinched, whether division or wild card.
I think being a single win from clinching qualifies as being “on the verge”.
This is as good as the playoffs to me. ALE Jays on paper are 2 games up on the Yankees however it is really 3 considering the jays own the tie breaker. They face the R Sox n Rays to finish the reg season, (and that’s no picnic). R Sox face said jays and Tigers ,(again no picnic)Yankees see the W Sox and the O’s both at home.( should be easier than the former two schedules but who know with them?) Same said in the ALW Mariners Stros and now ALC ,Cleveland comes all the way back to challenge the tigers … and that’s just winning a division , haven’t touched on the WC! to say it’s exciting is an understatement. It’s CRAZY GREAT!! Love it!! On that note good luck to the jays and their rotation n pen. Ye- Savage will be thrown in when and where it can get no hotter.