Blue Jays Get Flurry of Positive Injury Updates on Important Players
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The AL East has been an extremely competitive division for a couple of years now, and the Toronto Blue Jays have been on the outside looking in for the most part.
They currently sit in third place, under .500 and five games out of first.
The team's ERA is 4.31 on the season so far, which is in the bottom 10 in baseball. As far as the rotation goes, it is in the bottom five at 4.63.
It has become a real problem, but there will be some more reinforcements on the way as different rehabs are set to get underway.
Max Scherzer, brought in during the offseason, made just one start that didn't go particularly well before landing on the injured list. He only lasted three innings, giving up two runs, both on solo home runs, before getting pulled.
He then hit the injured list with thumb inflammation on his right hand, which eventually sent him to the 60-day IL.
He is now getting ready to ramp back up. On Tuesday, the veteran right hander threw a 33 pitch bullpen without live hitters. Manager John Schneider said Scherzer felt "better than okay," according to The Athletic's Mitch Bannon.
Scherzer, in his age 40 season, is not who he once was and has struggled to stay healthy since being traded to the Texas Rangers in 2023. Regardless, the Blue Jays took a chance on the future Hall of Famer and he is needed as a major part of the rotation.
Bannon also provided updates on multiple bullpen arms, two of which have yet to throw a pitch this year.
Both Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr will throw "somewhere" on Wednesday to begin their rehab.
In 45 games in 2024, Swanson had a 5.03 ERA over 39.1 innings while Ryan Burr posted a 4.13 ERA in 32.2 innings. If anything, those two will provide depth in a bullpen that has struggled in terms of having viable options.
Importantly, the other reliever on his way back is right hander Nick Sandlin.
The 28-year-old was a workhorse for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, appearing in 68 games with a 3.75 ERA and a 10.6 K/9.
Before going to the 15-day IL with a lat strain, Sandlin looked like someone who could be a big part of the bullpen. In eight innings, he allowed just two runs while striking out 10 batters. He has already shown he can handle a large workload, something that is very valuable to a bullpen.
Andres Gimenez was acquired as a part of the Sandlin trade from the Guardians.
The second baseman won't impress with his offense since he has a career OPS of .707 and below league average OPS+ of 99.
But the bat isn't why Toronto wanted the 26-year-old; it's his glove.
Gimenez has won three straight Gold Gloves, including a Platinum Glove. Since 2022, he is second in all of baseball with 52 outs above average.
Despite the bat not being there, he has not had a WAR lower than 4.0 since 2022.
He injured his quad at the beginning of May and was placed on the 10-day IL. Gimenez has started baseball activities and running, and will be starting his rehab soon.
Toronto is still in trouble at the moment, but when they get back Scherzer, these bullpen arms and a defensive wizard, they will have an opportunity to turn things around.
