Clay Buchholz will make his first start for the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Charlie Montoyo announced Tuesday.
Buchholz signed with the Blue Jays on March 5 and didn’t break camp with the team in order to give him more time to improve his conditioning. The 34-year-old made 16 starts in 2018 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.01 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
In other Blue Jays news, Luke Maile will miss his scheduled start behind the plate for the Blue Jays on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox due to neck tightness. Montoyo said he’s hoping Maile will be available as a potential pinch hitter in the game.
First baseman Justin Smoak continues to deal with his own neck issues and won’t be available Tuesday either. With the Blue Jays off Wednesday, Montoyo says the team will wait a little longer before deciding whether Smoak will go on the injured list.
Smoak hasn’t played since April 6 because of the injury.
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