The Toronto Blue Jays expect to return to the MLB playoffs this season after being swept in the wild card series in consecutive seasons. Health will go a long way in making that happen, but the Blue Jays are entering the 2024 season with a few injury questions surrounding some key players.
The biggest one involves the status of ace starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who has yet to pitch in a spring training game due to fatigue in his right throwing shoulder. Gausman continues to progress and work his pitch count up as he tries to get ready for the first week of the season.
Gausman's next step is to pitch in a spring training game on Monday. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that it is not yet determined whether that will be a major league game – the final one for the Blue Jays before Opening Day – or a minor league game, per Shi Davidi.
How Gausman fares in that outing will determine if he'll be available for Toronto during the first turn in the rotation. The Blue Jays are dealing with a ton of injury woes in the pitching department, but more on that later.
Joey Votto remains out
Joey Votto had quite the Blue Jays debut to remember on March 17. He homered on the first pitch he saw off Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, only to be removed from the game in the subsequent inning after rolling his ankle on a bat in the dugout.
Votto hasn’t appeared in a game since and continues to be day-to-day according to Schneider. The Blue Jays manager also said that Votto is “doing better every day” and doing a little more activity on Friday than he had previously in the week.
Votto is not expected to make the Opening Day roster but could be an option for the Blue Jays down the line. He'll likely remain at extended spring training before heading to the minors for a few weeks to get more in-game at-bats.
Blue Jays pitching outlook
Pitching depth is crucial for a contending team throughout the grind of an MLB season. Toronto will need to tap into that depth right out of the gate this year with several key options dealing with ailments.
Besides Gausman, Alek Manoah remains sidelined with shoulder soreness, while relievers Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson also deal with arm issues.
The Blue Jays finished with the fourth-best ERA in baseball last season and remained relatively healthy doing so. Four Toronto starting pitchers made at least 31 starts and 18 pitchers threw at least 20 innings.
“As you saw last year, our pitching staff is one of the best in baseball,” Gausman said, per Julia Kreuz. “The young guys that needed to make that jump [to full-time big league contributors] have. They've shown that they're a lot more professional in the way they go about their business. If Bowden (Francis) needs to cover for me for a couple of starts, I feel pretty confident with him or Mitch White. Wes Parsons, same thing.
“We’re at a luxury of having a lot of options.”
Gausman mentioned Bowden Francis, who was told he made the team's starting rotation on Thursday. The Blue Jays expect big things from Francis after he posted a 1.73 ERA in 36.1 innings of relief last season.
Jose Berrios will make the Opening Day start for Toronto in Kevin Gausman's stead. He did so in 2022 as well, exiting after recording only one out and allowing four runs. Berrios had a fantastic bounce-back season last year.
Gausman and the Blue Jays sound confident in their pitching depth, but if things go wayward in April and injuries remain an issue, Toronto might dig itself into a hole it can't get out of.
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