The Toronto Blue Jays should send Marcus Stroman down to triple-A.
Stroman got roughed up by the Angels in the finale of the Jays’ series in Anaheim, allowing six runs — five earned — on eight hits over just 3.2 innings of work, but that has nothing to do with why I think they should shuffle him off to Buffalo.
Stroman has arguably been the Blue Jays’ best starting pitcher since he joined the rotation back on May 31 with six innings of one-run ball against the Kansas City Royals. He’s thrown 47 innings in eight starts and put up an ERA of 2.87 with a sparkling WHIP of 1.13. The 23 year-old has done everything the Blue Jays have asked of him and more, exceeding expectations that were high to begin with.
And he should be sent back down to Buffalo right now.
Why? Because it’s the best thing for the team.
The Blue Jays are struggling, having lost six of their last seven games. The bats, dormant in Oakland, are just beginning to wake up. The truth is, they could use all the help they can get right now, so why not dip down into the minor leagues to add another position player to help out at the plate, in the field or on the bases?
Any player who is optioned off the major-league roster has to spend 10 days in the minors before he can be recalled, unless he comes back to replace someone who has to go on the disabled list. Stroman can’t pitch again before the all-star break, so the soonest he can start again is the first game after the break, which is July 18.
If Stroman is optioned out now, he’d be eligible to return on July 20, which would have him third out of the chute, presumably behind R.A. Dickey and either Mark Buehrle or J.A. Happ.
The Blue Jays are going to be cautious with Drew Hutchison, so it figures they’d use the break to give him a good week and a half off and have him go last in the first five-man sortie. They’ll keep an eye on Stroman’s innings, too, so that July 20 start is the most likely position for him to pitch in anyway.
So if you’re not going to use the guy for 10 days, why not bring somebody else up to use for those 10 days?
Adam Lind’s injury adds to the need for extra bodies and allows the Blue Jays to recall Anthony Gose, who would otherwise have been ineligible because it hasn’t yet been 10 days since they sent him down.
It’s a free move to take Stroman off the roster, and it would provide a big weapon to an extremely short-handed team.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Darin Mastroianni, who is 2-for-23 with the Blue Jays, to be replaced by Kevin Pillar as the platoon centre fielder with Colby Rasmus for the team’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays that begins Friday night.
Mastroianni would have to be designated for assignment, which removes him from the 40-man roster and makes room for Dan Johnson or Cory Aldridge to be called up. One of those two would replace Stroman on the roster and then Gose can be called up for Lind, who goes to the disabled list.
The best thing for the Blue Jays to do right now, even if they can swing a deal for a big bat to replace Lind, is to send Marcus Stroman to the minors.
Crazy game, ain’t it?