Marcus Stroman has yet to pitch an inning for the Toronto Blue Jays this season, but general manager Alex Anthopolous doesn’t think it’s a farfetched idea for the young right-hander to be considered for a spot in the playoff rotation.
In fact, in a guest appearance on Prime Time Sports Wednesday, the Blue Jays general manager said it’s a very legitimate possibility.
“If he performs the way he did last year, it’s a no-brainer,” Anthopoulos told hosts Bob McCown and Arash Madani on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “It’s not even a debate.”
Stroman was widely expected to be the Blue Jays opening day starter, but he suffered an ACL injury during a fielding drill in spring training and has missed the majority of the 2015 campaign.
However, Stroman was worked his way back and is scheduled to make his season debut for the Blue Jays in a start Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
“We all saw how good he can be last year,” Anthopoulos said of Stroman. “The more reps and innings he gets, the better he’s going to be. There’s a bit of a spring training element to it.”
Anthopoulos admitted that in an ideal situation, Stroman could have gotten a few more rehab starts before returning to the Blue Jays, but the timing didn’t work out because it coincided with the end of the minor-league season.
“Certainly you’d like more starts,” he said. “But right now with the way we’re set up its the best opportunity.”
Stroman’s return also coincided with the uncertain health of starter Mark Buehrle, who returned to Toronto earlier in the week for a cortisone shot in his shoulder.
However, Anthopoulos is not concerned with Buehrle’s health and believes the veteran left-hander will contribute for the Blue Jays down the stretch.
“We [can] give him a bit more rest and can have him lined up for the Braves,” he said. “It worked out well in so many ways. He felt great after his (recent) start – although the results weren’t great. I’m not concerned at all with Mark and I think he’ll think have an outstanding start against the Braves.”
