CLEVELAND – The Toronto Blue Jays gained further clarity into the status of Francisco Liriano and Devon Travis ahead of Friday’s deadline for setting American League Championship Series rosters, but Major League Baseball’s rules added more muddle to their decision-making.
Liriano threw a side session Thursday during the team’s workout at Progressive Field ahead of Friday’s opener against Cleveland and barring an unexpected setback, he’ll be active for the series.
Pitching coach Pete Walker said the bullpen went “exceptionally well.”
The same goes for Travis, who reported for duty feeling fine after testing his right knee Wednesday by running the bases, fielding groundballs and performing some agility exercises.
“Going through like I was getting ready for a game,” said Travis. “I think that’s the biggest thing, is to try to get moving here at game speed and see how it responds.”
But including Liriano on the roster means the Blue Jays will have to start the ALCS down a pitcher as MLB rules don’t allow them to carry a sub for the left-hander until he’s eligible to return from concussion protocol ahead of Saturday’s Game 2.
That has a number of possible spin-off effects, including whether they feel comfortable going with 11 pitchers and 14 position players, a split that would allow them to carry Ryan Goins as extra protection for Travis, or outfielder Dalton Pompey, whose speed off the bench can be an important weapon.
Manager John Gibbons added that Marcus Stroman – named the Game 3 starter Thursday, behind Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ and ahead of Aaron Sanchez – could potentially be used out of the bullpen Friday, as well.
“With the Liriano situation, you’ve got to play a pitcher short until he’s activated, you can’t carry an extra guy,” said Gibbons. “So if something happens and you need him, whether it’s just to survive or a valuable situation, (Stroman) would be available. If he had to do a few innings, it could be Liriano in Game 3 or Sanchez in Game 3 if you wanted.”
Even though “right now (Travis) is good to go,” according to Gibbons, one reason to carry Goins is the possibility that if Travis re-aggravates his knee during the ALCS, the Blue Jays may be unable to replace him on the roster.
As Gibbons explained, “there’s a grey area in the rules, too, where if a guy has a pre-existing condition/injury and you know it going in, and you determine right away, well, this isn’t going to work, I’m not so sure they let you sub him out.”
All of which makes carrying 11 pitchers far more ideal, even though that could leave the pitching staff exposed in the event of the unforeseen.
“You’ve got your four starters, that would be seven relievers, that’s really a normal bullpen,” Gibbons said of possibly going with 11 pitchers, Liriano included. “The only fact is there are some guys you want to guard down there, you don’t want them just pitching. There are a few young guys and guys that have been banged up, a couple of older guys, you don’t want to pitch them just for the sake of pitching them at this time of year, either.”
That’s why even as the Blue Jays continued to see progress in both Liriano and Travis, Gibbons said the Blue Jays “are still bouncing some things around on the best way to set it up.”