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Inside The Blue Jays

Blue Jays Welcome Back Bateman, Place Smith on IL Ahead of Arrighetti’s Debut

The Blue Jays are on a roll, but now they have the daunting task of taking down the Yankees in the Bronx with Cam Schlittler on the bump.
Maddy Dickens|
Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) before a game. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn
Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) before a game. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Toronto Blue Jays

There isn't a team hotter in the American League right now than the Toronto Blue Jays, who just won their seventh series in a row as they took down the Tampa Bay Rays at the Trop, no less, and now they are looking for their second win over the New York Yankees in the last week.

The Jays took two of three at Rogers Centre this past weekend and will be facing the same pitching staff, as Cam Schlittler is due up for the series opener in the Bronx on Friday night. Meanwhile, Toronto will be having a bullpen game once again, with Mason Fluharty taking the first inning.

No starting rotation has taken as many blows from injuries as the Blue Jays, low-lighted by Trey Yesavage's recent surgery as well as Jameson Taillon's own IL stint. Still, it appears they are finally getting some good news on the injured list: Spencer Arrighetti is coming off the IL for his first appearance with his new team.

Arrighetti isn't quite stretched out yet, but he should step in Friday evening in a bulk role, which is a sigh of relief for both the staff and skipper John Schneider, as long as it goes well anyway.

In a corresponding move, the Jays announced that lefty Brendan Cellucci is headed back to Buffalo, but that wasn't the only roster shuffle, as Josh Smith is headed to the 10-Day IL with hamstring inflammation, so Davis Schneider is rejoining the ballclub.

Blue Jays Starting Lineup in the Bronx Friday Night

Alejandro Kirk hits a baseball in a blue Blue Jays unifor
Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) hits an RBI single against the Yankees. Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hamstring injuries plagued the Jays down in Florida as Brett Bateman was the first to go down in the middle of game two, running out a ground ball, and had to miss the finale on Thursday, but he is back. Then, both Andres Gimenez and Smith faced the same fate. For now, Smith is the only one who's been forced to the IL, but Gimenez is going to miss the opener against the Yankees.

  1. CF Brett Bateman
  2. RF Nathan Lukes
  3. C Alejandro Kirk
  4. DH Jesus Sanchez
  5. SS Ernie Clement
  6. 3B Kazuma Okamoto
  7. 1B Brandon Valenzuela
  8. 2B Charles McAdoo
  9. LF Myles Straw

There is nobody hotter in the American League, maybe in baseball, than Alejandro Kirk, so it isn't shocking that he is still at the top of the order, and that is where he will stay for the foreseeable future, as he is slashing .360/.436/.550 over his last 30 games to complement two homers against the Rays.

Their test isn't over, as there are still just under six weeks of play left. However, after this one against New York, they won't face another organization that has a winning record, at least as of now. So, their postseason fate is well within their control; they just have to take it one game at a time, which starts Friday with Schlittler.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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