The musical chairs that has been the Toronto Blue Jays fifth turn in their starting rotation continues with the latest injury scare news. Alek Manoah left his start Wednesday with discomfort in his pitching elbow after only 1.2 innings and 24 pitches.
â Blue Jays Today (@TodayJays) May 30, 2024Alek Manoah will undergo an MRI today.
He felt discomfort in his elbow after his start in Detroit. Then he "felt really pinchy" after last night's game.
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Three pitchers have filled the 5th startersâ role so far in 2024. The top four of Kevin Gausman, JosĂŠ Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi have continued their impressive consistency, making 44 or 80% of the Blue Jaysâ 55 starts. The fifth turn has been handled by Manoah (5 starts), Yariel RodrĂguez (4) and Bowden Francis (2), but the three have only combined for 54.1 innings in those 11 starts for an average of just under 5.0 innings. That taxes an already overworked bullpen.
Both Francis and RodrĂguez continue to work their way back from the 15-day injured list with rehab outings in Buffalo. Francis has gone 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in four appearances and 10.1 innings at Triple-A after being shut down on April 25th with right forearm extensor tendinitis. He tossed 60 pitches in his latest outing Tuesday against the Syracuse Mets, allowing only only one hit and an unearned run in 3.2 innings of work, with 5 strikeouts against only one walk.
â Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) May 30, 2024The #BlueJays' next man up in the rotation feels like a turn back to 2023, when Bowden Francis piggybacked with a scheduled reliever.
⢠Yariel RodrĂguez (IL) needs more time.
⢠Paolo Espino is on the 40-man.
⢠Adam Macko (#9 prospect) has looked great, but is in Double-A.
RodrĂguez only started his rehab assignment on May 21st, so will likely need more time to work his way back to the 26-man roster. Chad Dallas, Torontoâs No. 19 ranked prospect per Jays Journalâs rankings, had seemingly started to turn as well, with a 3.48 ERA over his last two starts covering 10.1 innings with Triple-A Buffalo, but was just placed on the 7-day injured list.
Another intriguing pitcher to consider is Jays Journal's No. 9 prospect Adam Macko, who was added to the Blue Jaysâ 40-man roster last fall to protect him from the Rule-5 draft. Heâs been absolutely dealing of late for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, with nine strikeouts in his latest start against the Yankees top prospects, including two punchies each against Jasson DomĂnguez and Spencer Jones.
â New Balance đđđđđżđ˛ đŚđđŽđżđ đŚđ˛đżđśđ˛đ (@ftrstarsseries) May 27, 2024âśď¸ Check out Future Stars Series alum Adam Macko dealing in Double-A for the @FisherCats Sunday!
đ Macko fanned 9ď¸âŁ over six innings versus Somerset, including Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez twice each.@NB_Baseball @BlueJays #WeGotNow pic.twitter.com/27JAPkfUO2
In nine starts at New Hampshire this year, the 23-year-old lefty has a 3-2 record with a 3.68 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 44 innings, with an impressive 11.45 Ks/9 innings and only a .208 batting average against. Heâs shown improved control, with only 16 walks (3.27/9 versus his minor league career average of 4.36/9 over five seasons).
But more impressively, the young Slovakian-Canadian has gone 3-1 in his last four starts for the Fisher Cats, only allowing 13 hits and six runs over 21 innings pitched, for a 2.57 ERA. Heâs struck out 31 batters and only walked four over that stretch. The May 26th start against the Yankees' Double-A affiliate may have been hits best start of the year, with 9 strikeouts against no walks in a 13-1 Fisher Cats win. Jasson DomĂnguez and Spencer Jones, who Macko struck out both twice in that outing, are the Yankeesâ No.1 and No. 2 prospects, respectively, per MLB Pipeline.
While Francis likely has the inside edge for the 5th starterâs role if Manoahâs MRI reveals the worst, a bold move as part of a retooling Blue Jays roster might be to promote Macko from Double-A to join the rotation, or act as a bulk starter following an opener like Francis or Trevor Richards. And with the lack of MLB-ready pitching depth â and a rash of injuries to top pitching prospects Ricky Tiedemann, Brandon Barriera, Landon Maroudis, Dallas and RodrĂguez, Mackoâs ascendance couldnât come at a better time.