Ryan Borucki

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

By Mark Polishuk | April 9, 2022 at 6:15pm CDT

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

By Mark Polishuk | April 2, 2022 at 5:12pm CDT

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.

Blue Jays Reinstate Cavan Biggio From 10-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | September 28, 2021 at 1:18pm CDT

The Blue Jays announced that Cavan Biggio has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Left-hander Ryan Borucki has been optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Biggio’s 2021 struggles will be quickly forgotten if he can contribute to Toronto’s playoff push, though it has thus far been a season to forget for the 26-year-old. Biggio was a very solid contributor in his first two big league seasons, but he has hit only .215/.316/.350 in 290 plate appearances while battling multiple injuries. He first missed three weeks due to a cervical spine ligament sprain, and hasn’t played since August 2 after returning to the IL for a back strain. That IL stint was elongated by an elbow injury Biggio suffered while playing in a minor league rehab game, setting back his progress once again.

Biggio has already played multiple positions during his young career, but the Jays had him penciled in as their regular third baseman heading into the season. That still seems like Biggio’s likeliest role upon his return, as the hot corner has been a bit of a revolving door when Biggio has been out of action. Santiago Espinal and Breyvic Valera have played respectably well at the position, and the recently-designated Jake Lamb was also briefly brought in while Espinal was also recovering from an injury. With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. still day-to-day and George Springer only just returned to center field duty, Biggio might also get some time in the Blue Jays’ outfield picture.

MLB Suspends Blue Jays’ Ryan Borucki

By Anthony Franco | September 24, 2021 at 4:57pm CDT

SEPTEMBER 24: Borucki’s suspension was reduced to two games on appeal. He’ll miss Toronto’s next two games in Minnesota.

SEPTEMBER 23: Major League Baseball has suspended Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki for three games “for intentionally hitting Kevin Kiermaier of the Tampa Bay Rays with a pitch during the bottom of the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game at Tropicana Field.” Borucki has also received an undisclosed fine. He is appealing the suspension, so he’ll remain on the active roster until that appeal is heard.

As is typical, Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for Borucki’s actions. Montoyo will serve his ban tonight, missing this evening’s game against the Twins.

With the Rays leading last night’s game 7-1, Borucki hit Kiermaier in the back with a first-pitch fastball. Benches cleared, and Borucki was ejected by third base umpire Joe West after the fracas was sorted out. After the game, Borucki denied that he hit Kiermaier intentionally, claiming that the ball slipped out of his hand (via ESPN).

The incident came just two days after Kiermaier was at the center of controversy between the two clubs. During Monday’s game, Kiermaier was thrown out at home plate attempting to score on a Jake Lamb throwing error. The play ended the inning and the Blue Jays departed the field. While sitting next to home plate, Kiermaier picked up a gameplan card that had been dropped by Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk (video via Arash Madani of Sportsnet). Kiermaier took the card back to the Tampa Bay dugout.

It’s not clear whether Kiermaier was aware of what was on the card at the time he picked it up. After the game, the Rays center fielder told reporters he initially believed it to be his own gameplan card, which he keeps in his pocket during games to aid his positioning on defense. Kiermaier refused to return the card to the Blue Jays once he realized its contents, upsetting some in the Toronto organization. That bad blood seemingly carried over into Wednesday’s game.

The Rays and Jays are not scheduled to play one another again this season, but it’s possible they’ll play meet in the playoffs. Tampa Bay enters play tonight with a two and a half game advantage over the Astros for the top seed in the American League. If they hold onto that position, they’ll face the winner of the AL Wild Card game in their Division Series. Toronto trails the Yankees by half a game in the race for the final AL Wild Card spot.

Blue Jays Place Tim Mayza On 10-Day Injured List, Option Ryan Borucki

By TC Zencka | August 7, 2021 at 2:26pm CDT

The Blue Jays placed southpaw Tim Mayza on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, the team announced. Left-hander Ryan Borucki was also optioned to Triple-A, and lefty Kirby Snead and right-hander Patrick Murphy were recalled from Triple-A to fill the open two roster spots.

With Mayza now sidelined, The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath notes the somewhat amazing fact that every member of the Jays’ opening day pitching staff has been optioned, released, or placed on the IL at some point this season. Despite zero pitchers who have been effective and healthy for the entire season, the Jays are now just 6.5 games out of first and 2.5 games out of a wild card spot.

Mayza has been that source of reliability out of the pen for the Jays, however, with a 3.75 ERA/3.08 FIP in 36 innings spanning 44 games. He’s particularly effective against same-handed hitters, who are slashing just .207/.246/.207 against him.

Snead, 26, will try to take on some of Mayza’s responsibilities in his absence. Snead has just two big league appearances, though he’s pitched to a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season.

Borucki might have taken on some of that workload, but he’s struggled to a 5.12 ERA/5.18 FIP across 20 outings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in yesterday’s game against the Red Sox.

Murphy, 26, has been a name floating around recently as a guy who could be a difference-maker out of the Jays’ pen. The right-hander owns a microscopic 1.00 ERA in Triple-A across 13 innings of work. He has seven appearances with the big league club, the last one coming on July 28th when he tossed one scoreless inning of relief.

Blue Jays Designate Joel Payamps For Assignment

By Anthony Franco | July 16, 2021 at 8:51pm CDT

Before this evening’s game against the Rangers, the Blue Jays designated reliever Joel Payamps for assignment. The move cleared roster space for the reinstatement of fellow bullpen arm Ryan Borucki from the 60-day injured list.

Payamps’ designation comes as a bit of a surprise, as the righty has worked to a 2.70 ERA across 30 innings this season. That’s the second-best mark of the seven Jays’ relievers who have tossed 20+ frames this year. Payamps’ fielding independent metrics don’t quite support that level of run prevention. His 18.5% strikeout rate is well below the 24.5% league average for relievers, while his 9.9% walk percentage is fine but unspectacular.

That said, Payamps has generated swinging strikes at a fine 11.6% clip, so it’s fair to assume he could strike out a few more batters moving forward. He’s also been one of the game’s best pitchers at avoiding hard contact, and he can be optioned for the remainder of the season. Between his performance and roster flexibility, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Payamps drew interest from other clubs via trade or waiver claim. Toronto will have a week to trade him or expose him to the wire.

Borucki has been out since early May with a flexor strain in his forearm. Before going down with injury, the southpaw pitched to a 4.05 ERA/3.25 SIERA over 13 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Activate Thomas Hatch From Injured List

By Anthony Franco | July 6, 2021 at 8:10pm CDT

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.

AL East Injury Notes: Means, Arroyo, Walls, Borucki

By Mark Polishuk | June 24, 2021 at 6:50pm CDT

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters that John Means is slated to return “at some point right after the All-Star break.” Means hit the 10-day injured list on June 6 due to a shoulder strain, and his timeline wasn’t entirely clear at the time of the placement. For now, Means is able to play catch, and will gradually work his way up to readiness over the next few weeks.

Though it’s good news that a projected return date is in place, the timing confirms that Means won’t be participating in the All-Star Game, and the left-hander certainly looked like a strong candidate for his second All-Star selection based on his first two months of work. A return shortly after the July 12-15 All-Star break would allow time for Means to show that he is healthy for any teams interested in a deal prior to the July 30 trade deadline, though since Means is controlled through the 2024 season, there isn’t any immediate pressure on the Orioles to move Means unless a great offer comes along.

More on other injury situations from around the AL East…

The Red Sox placed Christian Arroyo on the 10-day IL due to a right knee contusion, with the placement backdated to June 21. Michael Chavis was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move. Arroyo left Sunday’s game after a collision with teammate Enrique Hernandez, though x-rays were negative on what the club described as a bone bruise in his right shin. Arroyo has hit a solid .264/.324/.432 over 138 plate appearances while getting the bulk of playing time at second base this season, though this is his second trip to the IL, after missing two weeks in May with a hand contusion after being hit by a pitch.
The Rays placed shortstop Taylor Walls on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 23) due to right wrist tendinitis, and right-hander Drew Rasmussen has been called up to take Walls’ spot on the active roster. Walls told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that he received a cortisone shot after trying to play through the injury for around two weeks, and he doesn’t expect to miss time beyond the minimum 10 days. Walls made his MLB debut just over a month ago, and he has posted a respectable 95 OPS+ while hitting .222/.337/.333 over his first 95 big league plate appearances. The Rays have used Walls as their starting shortstop since his promotion, though now that star prospect Wander Franco is on the roster, Franco is likely to get the bulk of time at the position while Walls is out. Given how the Rays mix and match players around the diamond, Walls probably isn’t in danger of getting Wally Pipp’d by Franco, who made his own debut on Tuesday as Tampa’s starting third baseman.
Ryan Borucki is slated to throw a bullpen session on Friday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and other reporters. Borucki hasn’t pitched since May 7 due to a left flexor strain, and while the southpaw was tentatively scheduled to return sometime before the end of June, Montoyo didn’t commit to any firmer timeline. “We’ll see how he does….If he throws a good bullpen, then we’ll go from there,” Montoyo said.

Blue Jays Targeting Bullpen Help, Left-Handed Bat

By Anthony Franco | June 20, 2021 at 5:22pm CDT

The Blue Jays are “focused on” upgrading the relief corps, general manager Ross Atkins told reporters (including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com). Presumably, that’ll involve acquiring some help from outside the organization, but rival clubs have set high asking prices on potential trade candidates to this point, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

On the whole, the Toronto relief unit hasn’t fared all that poorly. Jays relievers have posted middle-of-the-road numbers (3.94 ERA, 24.9% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate, 3.98 SIERA) over the course of the season. They’ve fallen on harder times recently, though, pitching to just a 5.25 ERA/4.89 FIP since the start of June. Only Jordan Romano and Trent Thornton have backed up strong run prevention numbers with quality peripherals all year. The Jays did just acquire Jacob Barnes from the Mets, but he’s amidst a poor season of his own, so there’s surely room for further additions.

As always, there are a few quality relievers who figure to be available in advance of the July 30 trade deadline. Pirates closer Richard Rodríguez and Orioles southpaw Paul Fry are each having good years. Cole Sulser, Ian Kennedy, José Cisnero, Michael Fulmer, John Curtiss and Mychal Givens (currently on the 10-day IL) are among the other relievers performing well for non-contenders.

There’s also some chance of the Jays deepening the bullpen with internal options. Atkins didn’t rule out the possibility of Nate Pearson and Tom Hatch, both of whom are working out the rotation at Triple-A Buffalo, being recalled to pitch in relief capacities. The GM also suggested (via Matheson) the Jays could welcome back Ryan Borucki and Julian Merryweather from the injured list in the coming weeks. Borucki is expected back sometime around the end of the month, per Atkins, with Merryweather looking at a potential return in early July.

While the pitching staff looks to be the top priority for the 35-35 Jays, the front office is also looking for ways to add to the offense. Toronto is seeking another left-handed bat, according to Nicholson-Smith, who reports they were interested in first baseman Mike Ford before the Yankees traded him to the Rays this week. Toronto’s incumbent lefty first baseman/DH, Rowdy Tellez, has struggled to a .209/.272/.338 slash line across 151 plate appearances.

Blue Jays Notes: Jansen, Springer, Biggio, Hatch, Borucki

By Mark Polishuk | June 7, 2021 at 2:15pm CDT

Catcher Danny Jansen suffered a right hamstring strain that forced him out of Sunday’s 6-3 Blue Jays loss to the Astros. Jansen was hurt running the bases trying to beat out a fielder’s choice in the third inning, and Reese McGuire took over at catcher for the top of the fourth. Jays manager Charlie Montoyo told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other reporters that Jansen would receive tests both yesterday and today to determine the extent of the strain.

With Alejandro Kirk already on the 60-day injured list, losing Jansen to the IL would leave Toronto with a catching depth chart of McGuire and (in all likelihood) Riley Adams, who is hitting .250/.410/.600 over 78 plate appearances at Triple-A this season. Adams had never played at the Triple-A level prior to this season, and he doesn’t officially have any big league experience — the Blue Jays called Adams up for a three-day cup of coffee on the active roster in early May, though Adams didn’t appear in any games. While McGuire is the more experienced option, his struggles at the plate over the last two seasons would perhaps mean that McGuire and Adams would be deployed in a platoon, as the youngster’s Triple-A production certainly seems to warrant a look against Major League pitching.

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