ANAHEIM, Calif. – As one well-regarded Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect made his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery this week, the elbow ligament-replacement operation was scheduled for another young right-hander.
Tom Robson of Ladner, B.C., who made eight starts at single-A Lansing this season before getting shut down, is scheduled to go under the knife next Tuesday.
A fourth-round pick in 2011, Robson had made strong gains the past two seasons. Last year at Bluefield and Vancouver, he went a combined 6-0 with a 1.12 ERA in 64.1 innings over 13 games, with 12 of them starts. At Lansing, he was 2-4 with a 6.25 ERA in 31.2 innings over eight starts.
Meanwhile Roberto Osuna, 19, returned to action with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays on Tuesday, his first in a competitive game since his injury last year at Lansing, where he was 3-5 with a 5.53 ERA in 42.1 innings over 10 starts.
Osuna struck out two in a clean inning of work.
“Like any guy coming back from Tommy John we’ll take it slow,” said Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, who oversees the farm system. “We want to get him back on his feet and get him back healthy and strong. The usual program we put our guys on, he’s following that.”
