The Blue Jays are looking for a fifth starter again.
Right-hander Bowden Francis won the job with a great spring, but was yanked from the rotation after just two starts, having allowed a dozen runs over just 8 1/3 innings against the Astros and Yankees.
Yariel Rodriguez, an off-season signing who came to the Jays from Cuba by way of Japan, was called up to take the spot and showed well despite extreme caution over his workload.
The rookie right-hander allowed only one run in each of his first two starts, wins over Colorado and San Diego, but he didn’t get deep enough in either game to get the decision.
Rodriguez’s next two starts, both against Kansas City, weren’t as good. He gave up a total of six runs (five earned) on 12 hits over 7 2/3 innings combined.
The 27-year-old has yet to record an out in the fifth inning, nor has he thrown more than 83 pitches in any of his four starts. But it’s not performance that has the team looking to replace him; Rodriguez hurt his back in Monday night’s 6-5 win over the Royals.
“In the first inning there was a ground ball, when the (Royals’) second run scored,” manager John Schneider said before Tuesday night’s game, referring to Michael Massey’s RBI infield single. “He kind of twisted a little bit and felt it a little bit as he went, but not obviously enough to stop pitching. (He) felt it a little bit more today when he woke up.”
Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day injured list with thoracic spine inflammation, which puts him out of commission until at least May 15. That happens to be the day after the next time the Jays will definitely need a fifth starter, thanks to three days off between now and then.
They could use those off-days to keep the top four of José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi and Kevin Gausman on regular rest, but that’s unlikely. With that veteran group having hauled significant innings last season and being expected to again, the Jays are committed to giving them as many breathers as possible.
If they run with a four-man rotation for a couple of weeks, Berrios, Bassitt and Kikuchi would each get an extra day of rest once and Gausman would get one twice. If they were to call up a fifth starter, each of the top four would make one start with an extra day’s rest and another with two extra days between now and mid-May.
Given that the Jays embark on a run of 26 games in 27 days on May 17 and go into the all-star break with 23 games in 24 days, they may well be inclined to give their starters as much rest as possible before that grind begins.
Rodriguez’s next start had been scheduled to come Sunday afternoon in Washington against the Nationals and — wouldn’t you know it? — that’s Alek Manoah’s day to pitch.
All eyes were on the mercurial right-hander as he dragged an 11.85 ERA into his fifth minor-league rehab start Tuesday night, pitching for Triple-A Buffalo against the Pirates’ top farm team in Indianapolis.
“I just want to see his pitch count be where it should be,” Schneider said Tuesday. “If it’s 90 to 100 pitches, hopefully the innings match up to that because his stuff is where we think it should be and it just needs to be in the zone.”
Manoah threw 92 pitches, 62 for strikes, over what wound up being six dominant innings for the Bisons. The big righty struck out a dozen against just two walks, allowing one run on two hits. That ugly minor-league ERA dropped more than five runs to 6.50.
Knowing Rodriguez was hurt and a spot was open, Manoah rose to the occasion and delivered exactly what the Jays were looking for.
Does it mean he’s back to his Cy Young finalist form of 2022? Heck no. But it means that the search for a fifth starter likely stops with him. This time.
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