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Blue Jays Select Matt Gage

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The Blue Jays announced they’ve selected reliever Matt Gage onto the MLB roster. Jeremy Beasley was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to clear an active roster spot, while Nate Pearson was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding 40-man move.

Gage is headed to the majors for the first time after spending eight years in the minor leagues. Drafted by the Giants out of Siena College in the tenth round in 2014, Gage spent four seasons in the San Francisco farm system. He topped out at Triple-A before being released, then spent some time in the Mets’ system and in the Mexican League. The southpaw worked as a starter through his time in Mexico but converted to relief after signing a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks heading into 2021.

The New York native dominated over seven Double-A appearances with the D-Backs, but he struggled with home runs en route to a 5.57 ERA in a hitter-friendly environment at Triple-A Reno. Gage qualified for minor league free agency again at the end of the season, and he’s off to a career-best start in Buffalo. The 29-year-old has tossed 16 2/3 innings with the Bisons, working to a sparkling 1.08 ERA. He’s fanned an excellent 32.3% of opposing hitters against a solid 7.7% walk rate to get a big league crack.

Toronto just traded Ryan Borucki to the Mariners over the weekend, thinning the lefty relief mix. Borucki was out of minor league option years, though, so the Jays were limited from a roster perspective with him scuffling. Gage has a trio of options remaining, so he’ll add a more flexible arm behind Andrew Vasquez while Tim Mayza is on the injured list.

Pearson has been out all season recovering from mononucleosis. Today’s IL transfer is strictly a procedural move that doesn’t affect his eligibility window. He’s ruled out for sixty days from Opening Day, not today, which we’ve already surpassed. Pearson is on a rehab assignment at Buffalo and should be reinstated within a couple weeks.

Blue Jays Notes: Second Base, Hernandez, Jansen, Ryu, Pearson

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A good portion of the Blue Jays’ offseason was focused on finding infield help, both to replace the departing Marcus Semien and perhaps to create an avenue for Cavan Biggio to move back from third base to second base. Defensive metrics weren’t particularly fond of Biggio’s work at third base, but he has generally solid marks in more than 1000 innings at second.

The Jays indeed found a left-side upgrade in the form of Matt Chapman, who’ll not only serve as a defensive improvement over Biggio at third base but will also help to offset shortstop Bo Bichette’s below-average range. Chapman’s addition looked to move Biggio back to second base, at least as the larger half of a platoon with Santiago Espinal, but as Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling writes, it’s Espinal who looks to have seized the full-time job at the position.

Espinal, 27, is hitting .268/.333/.464 (128 wRC+) and, as importantly, has already posted sizable plus marks in Defensive Runs Saved (3) and Outs Above Average (3) through just 135 innings at second base. It’s still just 63 plate appearances, but Espinal has solid walk (7.9%, slightly below average) and strikeout (22.2%, slightly better than average) rates thus far in addition to a huge 48.8% hard-hit rate to begin the season.

Espinal’s play alone would likely have boosted the size of his role, but Biggio’s placement on the Covid-related injured list yesterday could further open the door, at least in the short-term, for Espinal to continue impressing. The Jays didn’t announce that Biggio had tested positive, though GM Ross Atkins told reporters that he’s been exhibiting potential symptoms (Twitter link via TSN’s Scott Mitchell).

Atkins also provided some updates on a pair of injured Jays, noting that slugging right fielder Teoscar Hernandez, who’s on the injured list with an oblique strain, could progress to live batting practice within a few days’ time. Hernandez was placed on the injured list back on April 14, and the Jays have felt his absence. Offseason acquisitions Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer have been pressed into larger roles, but neither has produced at the plate. Tapia is hitting .236/.232/.327 in 58 plate appearances, while Zimmer is just 2-for-22 with one walk and 10 punchouts. Both Tapia and Zimmer have connected on a home run, but that doesn’t offset their general dearth of production.

Catcher Danny Jansen, per Atkins, is behind Hernandez and isn’t yet ready to swing a bat. Jansen homered twice in eight plate appearances before going down with an oblique strain of his own back on April 11. In his stead, the Jays have gotten a solid OBP out of Alejandro Kirk and a massive .306/.324/.611 output in 37 plate appearances from trade pickup Zack Collins. While Collins’ 35.7% strikeout rate portends a good bit of regression, he’s been productive enough for now that Toronto has even given him five starts at designated hitter.

On the pitching side of things, lefty Hyun Jin Ryu is slated for a live bullpen session this week that’ll determine his next steps (Twitter link from Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi). He’s currently dealing with a forearm injury. Righty Nate Pearson, currently out with a bout of mononucleosis, is slated to throw to hitters this weekend and could go on a rehab assignment next week. Atkins noted that Pearson may be ticketed for a “bulky” role, suggesting a multi-inning relief assignment once he’s back on the roster (link via MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson).

Still just 25 years old, Pearson isn’t far removed from ranking as the top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect in the game. The former first-rounder has electric stuff, evidenced by a fastball that averaged 97.7 mph in last year’s tiny sample of 15 big league innings. However, he’s been limited by elbow and groin injuries since making his 2020 debut, and Pearson also underwent offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia.

With just 45 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors combined last season, plus 18 innings in 2020 (and some work at the Jays’ alternate training site), Pearson likely wouldn’t be relied upon to work a traditional starter’s slate of innings anyhow. The hope for the long term is surely that he’s able to eventually realize his top-of-the-rotation potential, but a hybrid role seems more prudent at this time, given the limited workloads in recent seasons. Pearson could yet make some starts this season, but with Ryu, Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah, Yusei Kikuchi and swingman Ross Stripling all on the big league roster, plus Anthony Kay and Thomas Hatch in Triple-A but on the 40-man roster, the Jays have the depth to more strategically build Pearson up for 2023 and beyond.

Injury Notes: Pollock, La Stella, Sanchez, Borucki, Pearson

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A.J. Pollock left today’s game with what the White Sox announced as right hamstring tightness.  Pollock had just singled, but seemed to tweak his hamstring while making the turn around first base, and had to be replaced for a pinch-runner.  While Pollock’s lengthy injury history (including a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for over two weeks last September) gives particular concern to any new issues, Pollock told The Athletic’s James Fegan and other reporters after the game that today’s injury wasn’t nearly as severe as last season’s hamstring problem.

As it happens, Pollock was already set to miss some time.  The outfielder and his wife are expecting their second child, and Pollock was scheduled to go on paternity leave tomorrow.  He’ll use the absence to rest his hamstring and hopefully avoid become the latest White Sox player to hit the injured list.  Garrett Crochet has been lost for the season due to Tommy John surgery, while the 10-day IL features Lance Lynn, Yoan Moncada, Joe Kelly, Yermin Mercedes, and Ryan Burr, plus Lucas Giolito is now also set to miss at least his next two starts.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • There is “no set in stone timeline at this point” for when Tommy La Stella might return from the injured list, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters.  La Stella underwent Achilles surgery in October and is still feeling some soreness, though he told media that doctors have said this isn’t unusual.  Despite the lack of clarity, the Giants did consider using La Stella as a DH to begin the season, so it would seem like he is relatively close to playing.  “It was just one of those things where we wanted to make sure that we weren’t sacrificing the long-term success in this process for short-term gains now and make sure I’m set up to be good to go for the rest of the season,” La Stella said.
  • Anibal Sanchez could miss his scheduled start Monday, as the Nationals right-hander has been dealing with neck soreness.  The Nats already pushed Sanchez’s start back to give him time to heal, but as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, the club now may need to turn to either the bullpen, or possibly a minor league call-up like Josh Rogers or Aaron Sanchez to take the start.  In Aaron Sanchez’s case, the Nationals would have to first clear a 40-man roster spot to select his minor league contract.
  • Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo updated reporters (including TSN’s Scott Mitchell) about sidelined pitchers Ryan Borucki and Nate Pearson.  Borucki is on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain, but came out of a two-inning simulated game feeling well.  Pearson is set to start light throwing after missing time due to mononucleosis, but because Pearson missed a significant portion of Spring Training, Mitchell writes that the right-hander is “essentially starting from scratch” from a preparation standpoint.  As such, it might not be until at least mid-May that Pearson is fully ramped up.

AL East Notes: Pearson, Borucki, Harvey, Judge, Meadows, Rays, Pollock

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The Blue Jays are dealing with some injury concerns in their bullpen, as Nate Pearson is dealing with a non-COVID illness and Ryan Borucki left yesterday’s game with discomfort in his right hamstring.  Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link) and other reporters that Borucki will undergo an MRI.  More will be known about Borucki’s situation when the MRI results are in, but for Pearson, his illness has limited him to only two appearances thus far in Grapefruit League action.

In all likelihood, Pearson’s illness will keep him from making Toronto’s Opening Day roster.  While this issue seems less serious than the other injuries that have sidelined the righty over the last two years, it represents yet another setback for the former top prospect.  As for Borucki, the southpaw has been a pretty solid reliever when healthy, though he missed almost all of the 2019 season due to elbow problems and over two months of last season with a forearm strain.  If another IL stint is required for Borucki, Tim Mayza will be the only left-hander in the Jays’ projected bullpen, which could open the door for Anthony Kay, Tayler Saucedo, or Andrew Vasquez to break camp.

More from around the division….

  • The Orioles are considering re-signing Matt Harvey, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Harvey struggled to a 6.27 ERA over 127 2/3 innings with Baltimore last season, a performance that didn’t lead to any publicly-known interest in his market this winter.  Harvey’s situation is further clouded by the possibility of a suspension of at least 60 games.  A new deal would surely take the form of a minor league contract, and if Harvey is suspended, he’ll need some extra time anyway to get ramped up to pitch.
  • There doesn’t appear to be much new on the extension front between Aaron Judge and the Yankees, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the two sides aren’t close to an agreement.  Judge has stated that he doesn’t want negotiations to continue after Opening Day, so it seems as though quite a bit of progress will have to be made over just five days’ time.
  • Also from Rosenthal, he reports that the White Sox proposed a trade to the Rays that would’ve seen Austin Meadows head to Chicago in exchange for Craig Kimbrel.  Though Tampa Bay has reportedly been discussing Meadows in other trade talks, the Rays turned down the Kimbrel offer, which isn’t a surprise considering that the closer’s $16MM salary for 2022 would’ve taken up an outsized portion of Tampa’s limited payroll.
  • The White Sox ended up dealing Kimbrel to the Dodgers yesterday for another outfielder in AJ Pollock.  Beyond Chicago’s talks with the Rays, there is another AL East connection to that swap, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that the Red Sox were one of the teams interested in Pollock.  The right-handed hitting Pollock would’ve been a nice balance for Boston’s current corner outfield tandem of Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley Jr., both of whom swing from the left side.  Beyond just a platoon split, Pollock would’ve been mostly an everyday option, but the Red Sox seem committed to Bradley getting more of a regular share of outfield duty even though Bradley is coming off a dreadful season at the plate.

Blue Jays Notes: Pearson, Grichuk, Moreno

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Toronto’s top decision-makers talked with reporters to discuss a number of ways they hope to improve upon a 91-win club that came incredibly close to a playoff berth. While a good deal of attention has been paid to who the Blue Jays stand to lose this offseason, executives are rightfully pointing to improvement from within as a reason for optimism.

Chief among those internal improvements is getting a healthy season out of highly touted right-hander Nate Pearson. First he’ll have to recover from offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia that plagued the 25-year-old’s most recent season. Fortunately, GM Ross Atkins expects the surgery to be a blip in the pitcher’s offseason routine and won’t impact his Spring Training availability, stating “He should be fine — he should not be disrupted at all” (per Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling).

Anything resembling a full return to health for Pearson will surely be a welcome sight for Toronto brass, as the talented pitcher has tossed just 33 innings at the highest level owing to groin and elbow injuries. These recurring maladies very well may have contributed to what’s been a rough Major League tenure so far, as evidenced by a career 5.18 ERA and bloated 16.5% walk rate. Toronto will accordingly proceed with some caution, though Atkins reiterated his hope for Pearson to build his strength back up as a starter and provide “the impact of someone that can punch people out and pitch deeper and deeper into games.”

Other improvements, Atkins notes (via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi), can come in the form of simply giving left-handed batters more playing time. For context, Toronto lefties stepped to the plate less than any other team last season, combining to produce a .653 OPS that ranked 28th in baseball. While both Atkins and president Mark Shapiro were tight-lipped about players who could help strike a better lineup balance, the latter did speak to the ability of trades that could “take an addition by subtraction.”

Speculatively, any left-handed addition could come from the trade of oft-rumored trade candidates Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk, both of whom hit from the right side. While Grichuk’s underperformance this past season (.241/.281/.423 through 149 games) — to say nothing of the remaining two years and $20.7MM on his contract — hampers his value, Davidi does note the outfielder drew interest at the most recent trade deadline. Achieving more left-handed opportunities in the lineup might not stem directly from a return in any hypothetical Grichuk trade but may be done so by simply freeing up the at-bats of a previously entrenched right-handed hitter.

The Jays also boast an enviable crop of Major League-ready catchers in their system and could subtract from this group to achieve Shapiro’s aforementioned addition. Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk provided strong offensive production from the position last year, posting nearly identical OPS marks of .772 and .764 from the right side. But either could prove expendable given the similar production of the other.

Further crowding the catching picture is the presence of prospect Gabriel Moreno, who had a huge showing in limited action at Double-A this year and continues to mash in the Arizona Fall League. Then again, farm director Gil Kim notes Moreno has done “a lot of work at third base at the Player Development Complex. While that’s not his primary position, it is an option that maybe down the road will be in play. Right now we’re focused on catching but as we’ve seen, maximizing versatility is huge.” With Moreno also batting from the right side, it’s possible his presence affects the status of other righties around the infield, like breakout infielder Santiago Espinal. Whatever transactions are made to address the Jays’ perceived lack of lineup balance and desire to build on last year’s record, the front office surely has room to maneuver with both Major League trade chips and payroll space at their disposal.

Blue Jays Promote Nate Pearson, Bryan Baker

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The Blue Jays announced they have recalled righty Nate Pearson and selected the contract of right-hander Bryan Baker. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the moves last night. No corresponding transactions were necessary, as active rosters are expanding from 26 to 28 players today. Toronto created the vacancy on the 40-man roster required to promote Baker yesterday when they designated Brad Hand for assignment.

Pearson is one of the sport’s top prospects, with evaluators long suggesting his power arsenal could make him a top-of-the-rotation starter. The 25-year-old has gotten a few looks at the big league level over the past couple seasons but hasn’t yet had a real opportunity to fulfill his immense promise because of health issues. Pearson has had a couple stints on the injured list this year, limiting him to just one big league outing and twelve appearances (six starts) with Triple-A Buffalo.

Since returning from the minor league IL in the middle of August, Pearson has worked exclusively in relief, never facing more than five hitters in an outing. That’ll surely be the role he plays for Toronto down the stretch, with the hope that he can aid a bullpen that has struggled collectively for much of the season. Difficulty locking down late leads is perhaps the biggest reason the Jays enter the final month-plus of the season needing to erase a four and a half game deficit in the American League Wild Card standings. Presumably, the Jays will again look to lengthen Pearson back out as a starter next spring.

Baker will also step into the bullpen, as he’s exclusively a reliever. It’s the first major league call for the 26-year-old, who joined the pro ranks as a Rockies’ draftee in 2016 out of the University of North Florida. The Jays acquired Baker in August 2018 to complete the deal that sent reliever Seung-hwan Oh to Colorado.

Assigned to Buffalo to begin the year, Baker has spent the entire season to date with the Jays’ top affiliate. Over 34 innings, he’s posted a 1.32 ERA while striking out a strong 28.2% of opponents. Baker’s 11.3% walk rate is a bit high, but he’ll earn a big league look with his swing-and-miss numbers in the minors. The Jays would have had to add Baker to the 40-man roster this winter to keep him from selection in the Rule 5 draft, and they’ll make that call a bit ahead of schedule in hopes of finding a reliable middle innings option for manager Charlie Montoyo down the stretch.

Nate Pearson Seeking Additional Opinion On Groin Strain

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Blue Jays right-hander Nate Pearson was recently placed back on the minor league injured list due to a groin strain — his second IL placement for the injury in 2021. It appears there’s some difficulty in ascertaining the root of the issue, as Jays CEO Mark Shapiro said today on Sportsnet 590 that Pearson is headed for what will be a fourth opinion on the injury (Twitter link via Sportsnet’s Arash Madani).

Pearson, 24, has been one of the prized prospects in the the organization for the past four years. Selected with the No. 28 pick back in 2017, Pearson dominated in 2019 to the point that he was not only considered the Blue Jays’ best pitching prospect, but one of the premier pitching prospects in all of baseball.  Baseball America, MLB.com and FanGraphs all listed Pearson as one of the sport’s top ten minor leaguers prior to the 2020 campaign, and he garnered similar fanfare heading into 2021.

Pearson made his big league debut in 2020, firing five shutout innings against the Nationals and flashing a triple-digit heater which he complemented with a plus slider (and less-utilized changeups and curves). Elbow tightness sent him to the injured list just a few starts later, however, and Pearson wound up pitching just 18 innings during his debut campaign as the Jays took a cautious approach with their prized young righty.

Injuries have been a persistent source of frustration for Pearson, though some of his troubles have been rather fluky in nature. He suffered a fractured forearm in his first minor league start of the 2018 season when he was hit by a comeback liner, only to later sustain an oblique strain while rehabbing that injury. That pair of issues limited him to just 1 2/3 innings that season, and it’s now looking as though another set of injuries will significantly hamper his workload in 2021. Pearson has tallied just 27 innings overall so far in 2021.

Another injury-marred season is surely disheartening for Pearson, and it’s also likely thrown a bit of a wrench into the Blue Jays’ expectations. Pearson likely would’ve been on some type of innings limit in 2021, but he still reported to camp seen as an MLB-ready option in the rotation.

Pearson’s injuries and the early struggles of Tanner Roark — which prompted the right-hander’s release — have left the Jays with a rotation that probably doesn’t look quite like they envisioned but has still been solid. Steven Matz is currently out after testing positive for Covid-19, but he’s given the Jays 69 2/3 innings of 4.26 ERA ball. Fellow southpaw Robbie Ray is enjoying an excellent rebound campaign on a one-year deal, while righty Ross Stripling has stepped up as a dependable option. The Jays’ second-ranked pitching prospect, Alek Manoah, has been quite good in three of his five outings since his own MLB debut a month ago.

Combined with top starter Hyun Jin Ryu, the quartet of Matz, Ray, Stripling and Manoah gives the Jays a solid enough starting five for the time being. That said, as is the case with Pearson, Manoah is surely someone whose workload the Blue Jays will want to monitor. Matz threw just 30 2/3 innings last season, while Stripling (49 1/3) and Ray (51 2/3) also had fairly light workloads even by 2020 standards.

The Jays have some depth at the moment. Anthony Kay is starting tonight’s game, and down in Triple-A, the trio of Jacob Waguespack, T.J. Zeuch and Nick Allgeyer has thrown reasonably well. But the Blue Jays are lacking veteran arms with an established track record, making rotation help a logical target as the trade deadline approaches. GM Ross Atkins has already acknowledged a desire to add bullpen help and perhaps a left-handed bat, but the newfound uncertainty surrounding Pearson likely enhances the need for some innings in the rotation as well.

Blue Jays Notes: Tellez, Atkins, Manoah, Pearson, Hatch

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The Blue Jays may be dealing with yet another injury absence, as Rowdy Tellez suffered a mild left hamstring strain that forced him out of today’s 10-8 victory over the Phillies.  While batting in the eighth inning, Tellez slipped on home plate after hitting a line drive to left field, as a would-be double was limited to a single since Tellez was moving gingerly down the first base line.  Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and other reporters that “there’s a good chance” Tellez would be placed on the 10-day injured list.

An injury would compound that has already been a very tough start to the season for Tellez.  After seemingly breaking out during the 2020 season, Tellez has hit only .188/.225/.282 with two home runs over 89 plate appearances this year.  Despite making a lot of hard contact, Tellez has only a .222 BABIP and has only two walks against 20 strikeouts.  The Jays already sent Tellez down to the alternate training site in April as a result of his struggles, and it’s possible he would still in the minors if he wasn’t needed to help fill a hole on Toronto’s injury-plagued roster.

With Tellez likely to join George Springer, Joe Panik, and Alejandro Kirk on the IL, the Jays may need to make a 40-man roster adjustment to add another position player (unless they’re willing to play with a very short bench).  Such MLB-experienced players such as Tyler White, Dilson Herrera, Breyvic Valera, and Richard Urena are at Triple-A but would need to have their contracts selected to the 40-man before being able to join the big league team.

Injuries were naturally a big topic of discussion when Toronto GM Ross Atkins met with the media prior to today’s game.  Speaking to Zwelling, Sportnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter links) and other reporters, Atkins gave a positive update on right-hander Thomas Hatch, who has yet to pitch this season due to a right elbow impingement.  Hatch is on pace to be activated from the 60-day IL when first eligible, as he is up to three innings of work at a time.  Capable of working as a starter, reliever, or in a swingman role, Hatch could be a valuable asset to Toronto’s pitching staff is he is able to return healthy.

Top prospect Nate Pearson would also naturally be a boon to the rotation if he is able to live up to his potential, but Pearson has dealt with a number of setbacks this year — a groin injury that delayed his season debut to May 9, a rough performance in that first outing, and then a demotion to Triple-A.  Pearson will now miss his next Triple-A start due to a minor shoulder impingement, but Atkins says the Jays “don’t expect him to miss too much time at all.”

With Pearson a question mark and the Blue Jays rotation still in need of help, all eyes have turned to Alek Manoah, whose first two Triple-A starts have resulted in 12 scoreless innings.  Selected 11th overall in the 2019 draft, Manoah was ranked 79th on Keith Law’s preseason top-100 prospects ranking and 83rd on the Baseball Prospectus list, and the right-hander has now slipped into the current top-100 listings of Baseball America (93rd) and MLB Pipeline (98th).

Manoah’s performance has naturally also caught the eye of the Jays front office, as Atkins said “he’s making that [a promotion] very much something that we’re discussing and talking about….The objective and subjective views of how effective he will be at the major league level are all really encouraging.  He absolutely maximized his off-season and maximized Spring Training, and he’s getting absolutely every ounce out of Triple-A baseball right now.”

When Manoah might make his debut is still up in the air.  The 23-year-old did lose a season of proper minor league development in 2020, his time at the alternate training site last season was shortened due to a bout of COVID-19, and Manoah’s two Triple-A appearances are his only games played above the low-A ball level.  As Zwelling noted, however, the fact that the Blue Jays began Manoah’s season at Triple-A rather than Double-A is likely a sign that the team has confidence that Manoah is ready for a somewhat aggressive promotion if he keeps impressing in the upper minors.

Blue Jays Expected To Start Nate Pearson On Sunday

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Nate Pearson’s 2021 debut is expected to take place in a start against the Astros on Sunday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith).  For now, the plan is for Pearson to start the game and Anthony Kay will be available in relief if needed, unless Kay is required to pitch tonight.

One of the sport’s top pitching prospects, Pearson posted a 6.00 ERA over 18 innings for Toronto last season while missing some time due to elbow tightness.  Pearson then suffered a Grade 1 groin strain during Spring Training, and while the initial injury was thought to be pretty minor, he then reaggravated the issue in rehab.  After missing so much time in camp, Pearson had to get healthy and then essentially reboot much of his preseason training, though the early returns are promising.  In a start for Triple-A Buffalo earlier this week, the right-hander recorded eight strikeouts while allowing one run on four hits and a walk over 3 2/3 innings.

If Pearson is able to pitch close to his potential, it will be an enormous boost to a Blue Jays team that has been both racked by pitching injuries this season, and is arguably thin on arms even with everyone was at full strength.  Hyun Jin Ryu and Robbie Ray have both looked good in the early going, while Steven Matz has struggled over his last three outings after beginning his Jays tenure with three quality starts.  Tanner Roark has already been released, so if Pearson is able to assume a regular turn in the rotation, that would allow the Jays to move Kay or Ross Stripling into spot starter/swingman/long relief duty.

Blue Jays Activate, Option Nate Pearson

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The Blue Jays have activated right-hander Nate Pearson from the 10-day injured list, the club announced. Pearson will report to the Blue Jays’ alternate site and join their Triple-A team.

Pearson suffered a right groin strain at the beginning of camp last month, though Toronto initially didn’t expect it to lead to a long absence. Roughly two weeks later, Pearson re-aggravated the injury, and he has spent the past month and a half working back from it.

While Pearson is one of the game’s prized young hurlers, evidenced in part by his 16th-place ranking on Baseball America’s list of top 100 prospects, staying healthy has been an issue of late. The hard-throwing 24-year-old made his major league debut last season, though a flexor strain in his elbow limited him to five appearances (four starts) and 18 innings. He struggled across that small sample of work, allowing 15 runs (12 earned) and issuing 13 walks. Pearson only gave up 14 hits, but five of those went for home runs, and he finished with a below-average 19.8 percent strikeout rate.

Although Pearson’s first regular-season action didn’t go well, he did end 2020 on a high note. Pearson made one appearance in the Blue Jays’ wild-card round loss to the Rays and threw two perfect innings with five strikeouts and 12 swings and misses. That’s the type of dominance the Jays are hoping Pearson will provide out of their rotation whenever they recall him this season and over the long haul. The club’s staff could use the help in the near term, as only Hyun Jin Ryu (who’s on the 10-day IL with a right glute strain), Steven Matz and Robbie Ray have made three or more starts and produced positive results this year.

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