The Toronto Blue Jays could have a tough decision to make after the scary injury to starter J.A. Happ Tuesday night.
With Happ going on the disabled list, the Blue Jays only have four healthy starters (R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Mark Buehrle and Ricky Romero) on the big-league roster and may need to make a roster move in the fill innings in the short term.
UPDATE: (9:20 a.m. ET) Romero was sent down to triple-A Buffalo Thursday morning
The ideal option would be the return of Josh Johnson but the veteran right-hander is just scheduled to begin throwing this week and still needs to make at least two rehab starts.
So let’s axe that idea… for now.
Anthopoulos could bring in another veteran like Aaron Laffey for some spot starts but instead we will just stick to players currently in the system and look at the most logical internal candidates to fill Happ’s spot in the rotation.
Chad Jenkins, double-A New Hampshire
Jenkins is certainly the most intriguing option right now for the Blue Jays but the team doesn’t appear sure he will be ready to make the start.
The 25-year-old right-hander just returned from the DL this week and made his first start of the season for New Hampshire on Monday. He went five innings, allowing two runs on three hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Jenkins has the best stuff of all the possible candidates but it remains unclear if the team would prefer a more seasoned option.
The former first-rounder appeared in six games for the Blue Jays last year, including three starts, where he had a 1-3 record with 16 strikeouts, 11 walks, a 4.50 ERA, and 1.34 WHIP, in 32.0 innings.
Claudio Vargas, triple-A Buffalo
The Blue Jays brought Vargas in to serve as organizational depth and the team could consider him as a spot starter.
The 34-year-old right-hander has not started a major-league game since 2008 with the New York Mets but the veteran pitcher has spent time with several organizations in his eight seasons including the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Los Angeles Dodgers
Since joining the Blue Jays organization, he has made five starts with Buffalo, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.10 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 14 walks.
If the Blue Jays wanted to go with Vargas, they would need to make a corresponding roster move to their 40-man roster.
Dave Bush, triple-A Buffalo
Just like Vargas, Bush is another experienced pitcher who could help fill in for a few starts.
The Blue Jays had a brief look at Bush as a reliever earlier this year where he pitched just three innings before being designated for assignment and eventually sent back to Buffalo.
In his brief stint in Toronto, he allowed four home runs and posted a 15.00 ERA (no, that’s not a typo) with one strikeout and one walk.
He has had much more success as a starter in the minors with three wins, a 3.46 ERA, 20 strikeouts and just four walks in 26.0 innings.
Bush was a Blue Jays starter earlier in his career before he was shipped to the Milwaukee Brewers in the trade for first baseman Lyle Overbay.
Miguel Batista, triple-A Buffalo
Batista is another familiar face for Blue Jays fans as he spent two seasons (2004-05) with the organization as a starter and a closer.
While he may seem like a risky option on the surface, Batista started nine games for the New York Mets over the last two seasons and could be a decent option for the big-league club.
The 42-year-old (yes, hold your laughter) has already made five starts in triple-A for Buffalo since re-joining the Blue Jays organization. He doesn’t have quite the numbers that Vargas or Bush do so far this season but his recent major-league experience could make him a more enticing choice.
Like Bush and Vargas, the Blue Jays would need to make a corresponding roster move to bring up Batista.