Jorge Alcala Triggers Assignment Clause In Blue Jays Deal
Right-hander Jorge Alcala has triggered an assignment clause in his minor league deal with the Blue Jays, reports Ari Alexander of 7News Boston. Alexander writes that Alcala will now be available to all 29 teams, so it sounds like this is an upward mobility clause.
Alcala, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Jays in the offseason. He tossed 7 1/3 innings in Grapefruit League action but allowed seven earned runs via 12 hits and three walks while striking out six. He didn’t break camp with the club.
The upward mobility clause is a potential way for him to get to the big leagues with another team. The way such clauses usually work is that the player is offered up to the 29 other teams. If one of them wants to give the player a roster spot, the signing team then has to either give him a spot or trade him to another club that will. Alcala has enough service time where he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent, so he should only get claimed if a club is willing to put him directly onto its active roster. If no team claims him, the Jays can send him to Triple-A.
Alcala has a power arm, with both his four-seamer and sinker having averaged around 97 miles per hour in his career. However, his results have been up and down over the years. He had a 3.92 earned run average with the Twins back in 2021. He hardly pitched in 2022 and 2023 due to various injuries. He got back on track in 2024 by posting a 3.24 ERA, but then that spiked to 6.22 last year as he bounced to the Red Sox and Cardinals. He was non-tendered by St. Louis at the end of the year.
On the whole, Alcala has a 4.29 ERA in 218 1/3 innings. His 9.3% walk rate is around average for a reliever. Despite the big velocity, his 24.9% strikeout rate is only a bit above par for a bullpen arm. Typically, a player will know in about 48 hours if someone claimed him via his upward mobility clause, so Alcala should be able to head towards his destination at some point before the weekend is through.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Notes: Yesavage, Berrios, Bieber
Blue Jays personnel met with the media ahead of tomorrow’s season opener and provided updates on their injured starting pitchers. General manager Ross Atkins said that both Shane Bieber and José Berríos will be throwing from a mound this week, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, while Trey Yesavage had an encouraging showing in a minor league game recently. “Very encouraging in terms of stuff, velocity, recovery today, location,” manager John Schneider said of Yesavage, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Zwelling adds that Yesavage’s next outing could get to 45 pitches over three innings.
For the short term, the Jays appear light on rotation depth. They are beginning the season with a solid quintet of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce and Eric Lauer but things could get dicey if anyone in that group gets hurt.
Their optionable depth starters are Ricky Tiedemann, Adam Macko and Lazaro Estrada. Tiedemann has been batting injuries for years, including during this year’s spring training. Macko has no big league experience yet. He was recently with the Canadian team in the World Baseball Classic and isn’t stretched out at the moment since that club used him as a reliever. Estrada has just two big league appearances and posted a 5.73 ERA at Triple-A last year. Bowden Francis will miss 2026 due to Tommy John surgery.
Thankfully for the Jays, it seems like their three injured guys aren’t too far off. Yesavage had a shoulder impingement a few weeks ago but is healthy now. He is just a bit behind schedule. The fact that he could soon get up to three innings and 45 pitches suggests that he could be in line for a fairly minimal stay on the IL.
The situations with the other two are a bit more murky. Bieber was back on the mound in 2025 after his 2024 Tommy John surgery. He experienced some forearm fatigue in the playoffs last year and in the offseason, so the Jays decided to slow-play his build-up in 2026. Now that he’s getting on a mound, he’s effectively at the beginning stages of a typical spring training ramp-up. Perhaps he’ll be in game shape in a month or so, though the team hasn’t put a specific timeline on him.
Berríos finished 2025 on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. He appeared to be healthy in spring training, tossing 10 2/3 innings over three appearances. But an issue then came up in an unusual way. He was planning to join the Puerto Rican team in the WBC and underwent a physical for insurance purposes. Though Berríos wasn’t experiencing any discomfort, that physical found some inflammation. Further testing revealed a stress fracture in his elbow about a week ago. Despite that ominous-sounding diagnosis, the club’s hope was that Berríos could start building back up after a bit of rest. That still seems to be the plan, based on this update.
The overall picture will be a situation to monitor in the coming weeks. As mentioned, the rotation feels a bit thin for now. If Yesavage, Bieber and Berríos can all get healthy in a month or two, it would theoretically lead to some tough decisions. Presumably, Lauer would get bumped to the bullpen, as that was the plan until it was clear Yesavage would start the season on the IL. Beyond that, it’s unclear how the Jays would handle it if they had more than six healthy starters, though that would be a good problem to have considering where things stand right now.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images
Blue Jays DFA Leo Jimenez; Rule 5 Pick Spencer Miles To Break Camp
3:05pm: The Jays have officially announced their roster, with both Jiménez and Bastardo designated for assignment.
1:04pm: The Blue Jays are designating infielder Leo Jiménez for assignment, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. He’s out of options and evidently did not win the final spot on Toronto’s bench, which is likely to go to Davis Schneider.
Toronto will carry Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles on the Opening Day roster, reports Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. He won the final spot in the middle relief group, which had seemingly been down to him and sidewinding righty Chase Lee. The Jays announced over the weekend that they would not carry their other Rule 5 selection Angel Bastardo, who’ll therefore be designated for assignment this afternoon if he’s not already on waivers.
Jiménez will probably land with another organization, as it seems likely he’ll attract trade or waiver interest. The Panama native has spent eight seasons in the Toronto system. His bat-to-ball skills and ability to play either middle infield position made him one of the organization’s better prospects. Jiménez has been a good minor league player but hasn’t hit in a limited look at the big league level.
Toronto gave the righty-hitting Jiménez 210 plate appearances as a rookie two seasons ago. He hit .229/.329/.358 while striking out in 28% of his trips. A deeper Jays infield and a handful of injuries kept Jiménez to 18 big league games last season. He didn’t play much in Triple-A either but hit .271/.416/.431 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts at that level in 2024.
Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes and backup catcher Tyler Heineman were locked into bench spots. The Jays were left to decide whether to carry Jiménez because he can play shortstop and couldn’t be optioned, or to turn to a more proven right-handed power bat in Schneider. They’re opting for the latter. Ernie Clement can slide to shortstop with Schneider at second base when Andrés Giménez needs a rest day. The Jays have five days to see if they can flip Jiménez for a marginal prospect return. They’d otherwise need to place him on waivers.
Miles was the final borderline Rule 5 decision around the league. The 25-year-old righty has barely pitched since being drafted by the Giants in the fourth round in 2022. A back injury preceded a Tommy John procedure that has kept him to a grand total of 14 2/3 minor league innings. The Giants left him off their 40-man roster, doubtful that another club would be willing to carry him on the MLB roster with such little professional experience.
It’s particularly surprising that an all-in Toronto team is taking that flier. That speaks to how strongly they feel about the caliber of his stuff, as they’re not in position to burn a bullpen spot on a pure development flier. Miles struck out 11 hitters over 9 2/3 innings this spring, allowing four runs on 11 hits and five walks. Baseball America credits him with a mid-90s fastball and plus curveball and ranked him the #22 prospect in the Jays’ system over the offseason.
Breaking camp certainly doesn’t guarantee that Miles will spend the entire season on the roster. He’ll need to pitch well enough to hold an MLB job. The Jays would otherwise need to run him through waivers and offer him back to San Francisco.
Bastardo was a Rule 5 pick out of the Boston organization in 2024. He was recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent the entire ’25 season on the injured list. Teams need to carry a Rule 5 pick on the active roster for at least 90 days as soon as they’re healthy if they miss their entire first season due to injury. The Jays were never going to carry two Rule 5 draftees in the bullpen.
The 23-year-old Bastardo has far more minor league experience than Miles, but he showed signs of rust this spring. He walked seven batters and uncorked four wild pitches in 7 2/3 innings. He’ll go on waivers and will be offered back to the Red Sox if he clears. The selection still worked to the righty’s benefit financially, as he was paid the $760K major league minimum salary for his time on the injured list.
MLBTR Podcast: The PCA and Sanchez Extensions, And Prospect Promotions And Reassignments
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The extension between the Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong (recorded prior to the numbers being reported) (2:20)
- The extension between the Phillies and Cristopher Sánchez (7:00)
- The Braves losing Spencer Strider to the injured list (14:00)
- Is there a trend of starting pitcher prospects being used in major league bullpens? (18:15)
- The Nationals optioning Dylan Crews and Harry Ford, with Josiah Gray landing on the 60-day IL (23:35)
- Carson Benge making the Mets‘ Opening Day roster (30:30)
- JJ Wetherholt making the Cardinals‘ Opening Day roster (35:40)
- The Pirates not breaking camp with Konnor Griffin (39:15)
- The Guardians not breaking camp with Travis Bazzana (44:40)
- The Blue Jays starting the season with José Berríos and Trey Yesavage on the injured list (49:20)
- The Marlins optioning Braxton Garrett (55:55)
Check out our past episodes!
- Banged-Up Reds And Braves, Kevin McGonigle, And Spring Breakouts – listen here
- Jesús Luzardo’s Extension, Atlanta’s Depth, And Zack Littell – listen here
- Max Scherzer, The Red Sox’ Lineup, Spring Extension Candidates, And More! – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Extend Ross Atkins, John Schneider
The Blue Jays announced this morning that they’ve signed GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider to contract extensions. Both were entering the final seasons of their current contracts, but Atkins has re-upped on a five-year deal that will take him through the 2031 season while Schneider will return on a two-year deal that lasts through the 2028 campaign.
The news is hardly surprising following Toronto’s impressive run in the playoffs last year, where they secured the AL pennant and came just shy of besting the Dodgers in seven games during the World Series. While Toronto ultimately lost Game Seven of that series, it’s easy to see that ownership is pleased with the club’s performance. Not only was the team green-lit to acquire Dylan Cease and pursue other big names on the free agent market like Kyle Tucker this winter, but Blue Jays chairman Edward Rogers also decided to give team president and CEO Mark Shapiro a five-year contract extension back in December that runs through 2030. Once Shapiro received an extension, both Atkins and Schneider were widely assumed to eventually follow suit around the league.
Atkins joined the Jays prior to the 2016 season, and he’s overseen the beginning of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era in Toronto. While Guerrero signed with the organization as an international amateur a few months before Atkins and Shapiro arrived, every professional game he’s played during his career has been with them at the helm of the club. Guerrero has been the face of Toronto’s return to relevance after a rebuilding period early in Atkins’s tenure with the organization, from the second year of his career in 2020 onward the Jays have made the postseason four times in six years with a 472-398 record overall. That’s roughly an 88-win pace over the last six years, and under Schneider’s leadership over the past three years they’ve gone 257-229 they’ve managed a roughly 86-win pace with two playoff berths.
It may have seemed to be a no-brainer that the club would decide to keep the good times rolling with their current group after this year’s run to the World Series, but that was hardly a guarantee this time last year. One year ago, Guerrero had not yet signed an extension, the club had whiffed on both Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in free agency during back-to-back offseasons, and the Jays were coming off a deeply disappointing 88-loss season that saw the club sell at the trade deadline and called their longer-term viability as a contender into question. It’s fortunate that the organization’s banner year in 2025 answered those questions, because it’s not hard to imagine another poor performance on the field from the club last year ending in changes to the front office and dugout rather than contract extensions for the organization’s leadership.
As Atkins, Schneider, and Shapiro head into the 2026 season and look ahead to at least a few more years running the Blue Jays together, long-term deals for Guerrero, Cease, Alejandro Kirk, and Andres Gimenez figure to make them all staples of the organization going forward. Other pieces under long-term control include Trey Yesavage, Anthony Santander, Kazuma Okamoto, Louis Varland, and a collection of young hitting talent headlined by Addison Barger. It’s a solid group overall, though the next few years will also see the team contend with the impending free agencies of George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and other key members of the roster who will need to be replaced.
AL East Notes: Gil, Bastardo, Lux
Since the Yankees play only nine games during the season’s first 13 days, manager Aaron Boone announced today (to the Athletic’s Chris Kirschner and other reporters) that the team will use a four-man rotation of Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers during this rather staggered portion of the schedule. This leaves Luis Gil in a bit of an awkward spot as an unnecessary fifth starter, though pitching coach Matt Blake suggested that Gil could be used in a piggyback capacity during Weathers’ first outing. It is also possible Gil could be left off New York’s Opening Day roster altogether — he could bide his time in the minors until he’s needed, and the Yankees could use his roster spot on an extra reliever.
After winning AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, Gil was limited to 11 starts and 57 innings last season due to a right lat strain. Gil’s peripherals were unimpressive, and his whopping 5.74 SIERA indicates that the right-hander was quite fortunate to manage a 3.32 ERA. The fact that Gil has been relegated to this uncertain role for the start of the season perhaps indicates that the Yankees still have some questions about the righty, though Blake was encouraged by some adjustments Gil made to his release point.
More from around the AL East…
- The Blue Jays‘ bullpen continues to take final form, as manager John Schneider told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae and Shi Davidi) that Tommy Nance will make the team, while Yariel Rodriguez, non-roster invite Jorge Alcala, and Rule 5 Draft pick Angel Bastardo won’t be part of the Opening Day roster. In Bastardo’s case, this means the Jays must offer the right-hander back to the Red Sox, work out a trade with Boston to officially obtain Bastardo’s rights, or perhaps trade Bastardo to another team interested on carrying him on their active roster all season. Bastardo was actually selected in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, but a Tommy John surgery cost him the entire 2025 season and thus Toronto retained his R5 status for the coming season.
- Gavin Lux‘s shoulder remains a bit of a question mark for the Rays as Opening Day looms, though the second baseman was able to return to the lineup for today’s game with the Blue Jays. Lux’s first camp with the Rays was initially slowed by some oblique discomfort, and then a sore throwing shoulder that has limited him to seven Grapefruit League games to date. Manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that due to the “time crunch” created by Thursday’s opener, “we’ve got to get [Lux] going for him to be ready to go.” If Lux needs a 10-day injured list stint to give himself more time to get right, Topkin suggests the Rays could add Richie Palacios to the roster, or perhaps explore the market for a new depth infielder.
Blue Jays Release Connor Seabold, Option Lazaro Estrada
The Blue Jays announced that they have granted right-hander Connor Seabold his release, making him a free agent (link via Mitch Bannon of the Athletic). Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, Seabold exercised a release clause in his contract. Right-hander Lazaro Estrada has also been optioned to Triple-A.
Seabold was in camp on a minor-league deal which he signed two months ago. He covered 6 2/3 innings in six spring appearances for Toronto, albeit with a 6.75 ERA and three hit batters. He did strike out 13 hitters in that small sample, but he also walked four and generally did not show much improvement over his limited major-league numbers from 2025. He was strictly a reliever in that sample and a swingman in prior MLB seasons, though he didn’t show enough for the Blue Jays to keep him in the organization as a depth option.
His biggest MLB exposure came in 2023 with the Rockies. Pitching 87 1/3 innings across 27 appearances (13 starts) that year, Seabold had an unsightly 7.52 ERA and expected stats in the low to mid-5.00s. His 6.9% walk rate was impressive, though that was about the only thing that went right for him in Colorado. His 16.4% strikeout rate was below average. He also allowed nearly two home runs per nine innings, which was worse than average even taking into account the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field.
Seabold fared much better upon moving to the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024. He posted a 3.43 ERA in 160 innings with the Samsung Lions that year, striking out nearly a batter per inning and cutting back dramatically on his walks. He returned to MLB in 2025, but he only made seven relief appearances between the Rays and Braves organizations. For now, it seems he is more likely to catch on as a reliever if he focuses on MLB opportunities.
Estrada, 26, was signed out of Cuba in 2018 and spent the early part of 2025 in Triple-A. He saw his contract selected in early July and made his big-league debut with a four-inning relief appearance against the Angels on July 5. He only made it into two games overall, allowing seven earned runs in 7 1/3 innings but also displaying a penchant for strikeouts. Estrada has a four-pitch mix featuring a 93 MPH four-seamer, which he complements with a slider, sinker, and occasional curveball. He has less than a year of service time and has two minor-league option years remaining.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Poll: Who Will Win The AL East?
With Opening Day just around the corner, the offseason is more or less complete for MLB’s 30 clubs and teams are now focused on the incoming season and being the final team standing to raise the Commissioner’s Trophy. Until the playoffs begin, however, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. In the run-up to the start of the season, we will be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. That series starts today with the AL East. All teams are listed in order of their 2025 regular season record:
Toronto Blue Jays (94-68)
The Blue Jays only narrowly won the AL East last year, with the division coming down to a tiebreaker. They made a much more convincing case for themselves as the top dog in the division come the postseason, however, as they easily dispatched the Yankees in the ALDS and went on to make it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing that final game against the mighty Dodgers by just a hair. They went on to have an aggressive offseason in their efforts to stay at the top of the totem pole. The Jays lost Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt to free agency, but managed to retain Max Scherzer while adding Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to a rotation that already boasts Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage. Their efforts to improve on the pitching side didn’t ignore the bullpen either, as Tyler Rogers was brought in to support Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland in the late innings. Losing Bichette certainly hurts for Toronto’s offense, but Kazuma Okamoto figures to be an able replacement as a right-handed bat in the middle of the order, and the team also bolstered their outfield depth with the addition of Jesus Sanchez. Will that be enough to maintain control in the East, or will Toronto brass regret missing out on Bichette and Kyle Tucker this winter?
New York Yankees (94-68)
The Yankees only lost the East by a hair last year. Their plan for this season appears to be running back last year’s squad and hoping that the return of Gerrit Cole can push them over the edge. Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, Trent Grisham, and Paul Blackburn are all returning via free agency. With that being said, the team didn’t make any significant additions aside from bringing back the old guard when it comes to free agency. Their lone major addition to the roster this offseason was a trade with the Marlins that brought back southpaw Ryan Weathers, who has never thrown even 100 innings in a season but does sport a solid 3.74 ERA across his last 24 outings. That addition to the rotation mix is matched by a substantial loss in the bullpen, however, as both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver eschewed the Bronx in favor of Queens during free agency. Perhaps the additions of Cole (as he returns from a season lost to Tommy John surgery) and Weathers will make up for those losses, but the Yankees will also have to contend with the injury bug; Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Anthony Volpe are all starting the season on the injured list, while Clarke Schmidt is already lost for the year to elbow surgery.
Boston Red Sox (89-73)
The Red Sox certainly had a busy offseason, but it’s not exactly the ones fans were expecting. Alex Bregman is suddenly a Chicago Cub. Both Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu remain with the Red Sox. While the team’s elite outfield remains intact, the infield looks somewhat suspect. The addition of Willson Contreras at first base should provide some reliability that former top prospect Triston Casas has not been able to so far in his career, but the Red Sox will be banking on another solid season from Trevor Story after his bounce-back in 2025 while turning to Marcelo Mayer at second base and Caleb Durbin at third base. All three of those players have the opportunity to be solid, but only Mayer has a ceiling comparable to the impact Bregman offered and fans in Boston need not be reminded of the risks associated with handing the keys to a young player at second base after Kristian Campbell‘s rookie year. On the other hand, the team’s pitching looks better than ever. Garrett Crochet nearly won the Cy Young award last year, and this season he’ll be supported by both Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray to give the Red Sox one of the more impressive potential playoff rotations in the game. Will that be enough to win the AL East this year, given the club’s lack of impact hitting additions?
Tampa Bay Rays (77-85)
The Rays are coming off back-to-back seasons where they finished just a bit below .500. After the rest of the division spent the offseason loading up on talent for the 2026 campaign, a lot will need to go right for the Rays to improve this year. Junior Caminero is a superstar at third base but the losses of Brandon Lowe and Pete Fairbanks figure to be a tough blow this year. In typical Rays fashion, the club’s additions aren’t necessarily impactful on paper. None of Jake Fraley, Gavin Lux, Cedric Mullins, Steven Matz, and Nick Martinez had impact seasons last year but they’ve all shown themselves to be more than capable of being effective major leaguers in the past. Additionally, young pieces like Ryan Pepiot and Carson Williams could plausibly take the sort of step forward Jonathan Aranda did last year, therefore joining Aranda and Yandy Diaz as strong pieces of Caminero’s supporting cast. Will all that be enough to overcome the Rays’ high-spending rivals?
Baltimore Orioles (75-87)
The Orioles had a disaster of a 2025 season but they resolved to fix their flaws in this offseason and made a strong effort to do just that. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward brought in reliable, right-handed power that a lineup stacked with upside but lacking in floor desperately needed. A revamped rotation featuring not just a healthy Kyle Bradish but also a reunion with Zach Eflin plus the additions of both Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt certainly offers more upside than last year’s group, even if they failed to sign the surefire ace they entered the season widely expected to target. That improved rotation is also being supported by a bullpen that brought back Andrew Kittredge after dealing him away at the trade deadline and added Ryan Helsley in order to replace injured closer Felix Bautista. The bones of a very deep and talented team are clearly present in Baltimore but whether they can rise from fifth in the division all the way to first will surely depend on the health and performance of their core pieces like Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman. Gunnar Henderson remains a good bet to earn himself MVP votes but will the rest of that elite group of youngsters be able to start to catch up to him?
After a busy offseason all around the AL East, which team is most likely to come out on top this year? Will the Blue Jays hold on after their near-miss at a championship last season? Will the Yankees be able to get better results with the same roster? Will the Red Sox or Orioles be able to make an unorthodox offseason into a success despite notable misses on some stated goals for the winter? Or will the Rays once again work the magic that’s made them so successful in the past and surprise the league? Have your say in the poll below:
Who will win the AL East in 2026?
Trey Yesavage To Begin Season On Injured List
Blue Jays righty Trey Yesavage will open the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, manager John Schneider announced to the team’s beat (via Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet). Yesavage reported to camp with the injury and has been built up slowly as a result. He tossed 35 pitches in a minor league game this week and felt good, but he won’t have enough time to finish ramping up before the season begins. He’ll throw again on March 25, but the Jays are not putting a formal timetable on his potential return.
Yesavage becomes the third Jays starter ticketed for the IL to begin the season. He’ll join righties Shane Bieber (forearm fatigue) and José Berríos (right elbow stress fracture) on the shelf. That’ll leave Toronto with a season-opening rotation of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer.
The 22-year-old Yesavage was set to enter 2026 as one of the favorites for American League Rookie of the Year honors after an eye-opening debut late last year. The former No. 20 overall pick made three regular-season starts and notched a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings before breaking out as a postseason hero. In six playoff appearances (five starts), Yesavage logged a 3.58 ERA, a 35.8% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate.
Those postseason numbers are a bit skewed from one rough start against the Mariners (five runs in four innings), but Yesavage pushed Toronto into a 3-2 World Series lead when he held the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup to one run over seven frames while piling up a dozen strikeouts at Dodger Stadium. The Jays couldn’t close things out in the final two games back home, but Yesavage’s electric Game 5 performance emphatically thrust him into the national spotlight. He’s still a clear Rookie of the Year candidate, but the shoulder issue clouds those chances a bit. He’ll miss at least a couple starts to begin the year, and we don’t yet have a sense for when Yesavage will rejoin the rotation.
Despite the slate of injuries, there are some silver linings for the Jays. Toronto has thus far resisted trading any starting pitching despite signing Cease, Ponce and Scherzer — a trio of signings that pushed them to eight starters for five spots. More importantly, there’s no indication that any of the current injuries are particularly severe. While Bieber’s forearm fatigue and especially Berríos’ stress fracture sound alarming, the actual prognoses are less troublesome. Bieber is throwing from flat ground and expected to be on a mound soon, Schneider said this morning (via Zwelling). Berríos is symptom-free and only discovered his injury when undergoing a physical for World Baseball Classic purposes. He’s currently expected to resume throwing within a matter of days.
Though none of the injuries currently point to monthslong absences, the Jays’ depth is already being tested. They can scarcely afford even another minor injury, especially with depth starter Bowden Francis out for the year following Tommy John surgery and prospects Ricky Tiedemann and Jake Bloss still working back from injuries of their own.
Swingman Yariel Rodríguez could be summoned back to the 40-man roster after previously clearing waivers, but options beyond him are lacking. Righty Lazaro Estrada has just 7 1/3 MLB innings under his belt. Prospect Adam Macko and Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles have yet to pitch in the majors. Non-roster options beyond Rodriguez include Connor Seabold and Michael Plassmeyer. Seabold has had a shaky spring and has never found big league success. Plassmeyer is a 29-year-old lefty with 11 major league innings under his belt.
José Berríos Diagnosed With Stress Fracture In Elbow
Blue Jays righty José Berríos has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow and will not be ready for Opening Day, manager John Schneider announced to the team’s beat (via Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet). Berríos is somewhat remarkably pain- and symptom-free. The current hope is that after a bit of down time, he’ll be able to pitch through the issue. It’s not clear exactly how long that’ll be, but for now he’ll take a few days off from throwing altogether.
Berríos had been pitching throughout the spring and only learned of a possible issue in his elbow when he was taking his physical prior to joining Puerto Rico’s team for the World Baseball Classic. An MRI conducted as part of that exam revealed inflammation in his elbow, which caught Berríos by surprise, as he said that he had not experienced any discomfort. Still, the inflammation scuttled his hopes of pitching for Puerto Rico and prompted the Jays to schedule a visit with Dr. Keith Meister to further evaluate the veteran righty’s elbow.
Entering the fifth season of a seven-year, $131MM contract, Berríos had been hoping for a rebound effort. He’s coming off one of his weaker seasons but was still plenty serviceable last year. In 166 innings, he posted a 4.17 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The right-hander’s 93 mph average four-seamer was a career-low, and his 92.2 mph average sinker was the second-lowest of his career. That walk rate, while solid, was the second-highest of his career in a full season and a notable step up from the 6.7% he’d logged from 2017-24.
A trip to the injured list is a rarity for Berríos. He’s been a starter every year of his major league career — one of the most durable and consistent of the past decade. Dating back to 2018, he leads Major League Baseball in both games started (234) and innings pitched (1367 2/3). Berríos started a full slate of 12 games during the shortened 2020 season and has started 30 or more games in each other season dating back to 2018.
The Jays still owe Berríos $66MM over the next three seasons. He can opt out of the final two years of his contract following the 2026 campaign, but based on last year’s relative down performance, that looked like a long shot even before news of this elbow issue popped up.
Berríos finds himself in something of an odd spot with the Jays, though perhaps this injury will help sort things out organically. Toronto signed Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and Cody Ponce in free agency this offseason. Rookie Trey Yesavage is also locked into a rotation spot after a dominant late-season debut and postseason run. The Blue Jays have Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Cease, Yesavage, Ponce, Scherzer, Berríos and Eric Lauer on the roster, giving them eight viable starting pitchers for five spots.
Bieber is opening the season on the injured list due to some forearm fatigue. Berríos will join him there for an undetermined period of time. If neither misses much time, the Jays could soon have some tough decisions to make with regard to eight veteran starting pitchers — assuming the other six remain healthy. Lauer has voiced a desire to pitch out of the rotation — he’s a free agent next winter, after all — but said he’ll pitch in whatever role he’s asked. There’s been some trade speculation surrounding him, but with two starters already on the shelf, Toronto may not be keen on further thinning the staff.