Blue Jays Make Smart Move Reuniting With Former Left-Handed Relief Pitcher
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Seeing an opportunity to reunite with a familiar face and upgrade their organizational pitching depth, the Toronto Blue Jays have made an addition to their Triple-A pitching staff.
The Buffalo Bison, their Triple-A affiliate, announced that veteran relief pitcher Ryan Borucki would be active for the team tonight. Based on that information being shared, it is fair to assume that the two sides have agreed to a minor league deal. He was most recently pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was released last week.
After an excellent 2023 campaign with the National League Central squad, Borucki has struggled mightily the last two years. In 2024 and 2025, he made 49 appearances, throwing 41.2 innings and registering an ugly 5.83 ERA. His 4.38 FIP hints that there may have been some bad luck involved in his underwhelming production, but he could not replicate that 2023 success.
A 56.9% strand rate could be the culprit for the inflated ERA. A 3.81 SIERA paints a much more positive outlook than his raw numbers. About league-average strikeout and walk rates also provide some promise along with an excellent ground ball rate.
Signing Ryan Borucki Is Smart Move by Blue Jays
This will be the second stint for Borucki with the Blue Jays. He was originally selected by them in the 15th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Mundelein High School in Mundelein, Illinois. The first four-plus seasons of his Big League career was spent with Toronto before he was traded to the Seattle Mariners.
His most productive time in the Major Leagues was with the Blue Jays. He had a 1.3 bWAR across 75 appearances, 19 of which were starts earlier in his career. 151 innings were pitched with a 4.47 ERA and 123 strikeouts. His time as a starting pitcher came to an end because of some injuries and issues with his control.
This is a smart signing by Toronto. Getting Borucki in their organization before Sept. 1 means that he is eligible for a postseason roster should the need arise. He joins Mason Fluharty and Justin Bruihl as left-handed pitching options ,the team can turn to behind Brendon Little.
Because no claim was made when the Pirates placed him on waivers, they will be paying most of his remaining salary. A prorated amount of the league minimum would be paid by the Blue Jays should they call him up at any point. Teams can never have too much pitching depth and Borucki is someone the team is familiar with from his previous stint with the franchise.
