Heading into Opening Day, one of the biggest concerns for the Toronto Blue Jays is the injury status of ace Kevin Gausman. While nothing is set in stone, the Blue Jays are beginning to feel some optimism surrounding Gausman's return timeline.
Toronto has hope that Gausman will be able to pitch during the week of March 31, via Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. There is a chance Gausman will be on a pitch count, but the Blue Jays are waiting until his spring training start on Monday before making a final decision.
With Opening Day on March 28, Gausman making his return during Toronto's expected timeframe would put him on track to not miss any regular season time. The Blue Jays have already announced that Jose Berrios will be their Opening Day starter. Gausman will have some extra time to prepare before making his official 2024 debut.
The right-hander has been dealing with shoulder issues throughout the offseason. He has been able to face live batters and has progressive improved his output through each step of rehab. Toronto is still playing it safe and they won't rush Gausman back. But signs are pointing to him making a return sooner rather than later, barring injury.
Gausman got the gas
Having Gausman ready to go at the beginning of the regular season would be a major boon for the Blue Jays. Playing in a now uber competitive AL East, Toronto needs as much firepower as they can handle.
The 2023 season marked Gausman's second with the Blue Jays and came with a stark improvement. Over 31 starts he held a 12-9 record with a 3.16 ERA and an American League-leading 237 strikeouts compared to 55 walks. Gausman earned the second All-Star nomination of his career.
Throughout his entire major league career, Gausman has pitched to a 88-91 record with a 3.84 ERA and a 1,603/429 K/BB ratio. His first All-Star appearance came in his final season with the San Francisco Giants in 2021.
While Gausman has been in MLB for over 10 years, he hasn't shown signs of slowing down. While a shoulder injury slowed down his preparation, the right wants to prove he can still be a force atop the Blue Jays' rotation.
Blue Jays pitching outside of Gausman
Gausman may be the cream of Toronto's pitching crop, but the Blue Jays have numerous intriguing options in their rotation entering 2024. After finishing the 2023 season fourth in MLB with a 3.78 ERA, Toronto is once again looking for pitching to be a strength.
Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi all recorded ERAs below 4.00 in 2023. Each pitcher had at least 181 strikeouts. Bowden Francis has officially earned the fifth spot in the rotation. He shined during his first true season in the major leagues, holding a 1.73 ERA and 35/8 K/BB ratio.
The Blue Jays rotation is only better with Kevin Gausman in it. It seems Toronto will get exactly that sooner than expected. But even if the right-hander had to miss a turn in the rotation or two, the Blue Jays have plenty of ammunition to back him up.
Toronto is hoping they can skip that step and enter Opening Day with Gausman ready to go.
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