Dylan Cease's debut season with the Toronto Blue Jays has officially come to an end.
The Blue Jays placed their ace on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 20, with right shoulder inflammation ahead of their second game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Cease had gone for an MRI on his shoulder over the weekend after seeing a major drop in his velocity during his last start on Friday against the Texas Rangers.
The imaging showed no structural damage, so Toronto held off on placing Cease on the IL, in case they stayed in the playoff race through their final series at home against the Cincinnati Reds.
But after being eliminated from contention with their loss earlier Wednesday, the 30-year-old right-hander can now focus on getting healthy for 2027.
After signing a seven-year, $210-million contract with the Blue Jays over the off-season, Cease emerged as a bright spot in Toronto amid its disappointing campagin.
He put his name firmly in the AL Cy Young conversation by pitching to a 2.40 ERA and 239 strikeouts over 169 innings, leading all qualified pitchers in the junior circuit in strikeout rate.
Along with moving Cease to the IL, the Blue Jays also optioned reliever José Rodríguez to the spring training complex and recalled right-handers CJ Van Eyk and Chase Lee from triple-A Buffalo.
Rodríguez, acquired from the Dodgers in a minor-league trade on Sept. 1, impressed through four appearances with the Blue Jays after being recalled on Sept. 18 by not allowing a run in 4.2 innings.
Van Eyk and Lee, meanwhile, will return to help Toronto's pitching staff after previously spending time in the big leagues earlier this season.
Van Eyk will get the start in the second game of the doubleheader against the Orioles.
Over 6.2 MLB innings, Van Eyk posted a 4.05 ERA, and Lee recorded a 7.88 mark in 8.0 frames.
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