TORONTO – Despite opening the season with enviable pitching depth, the Blue Jays placed yet another arm on the injured list Monday, raising new questions about how they’ll handle an all-too-familiar problem.
After sustaining a mild left hamstring strain in Sunday’s start, Dylan Cease joined fellow starters Jose Berrios, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis on the IL Monday. It’s a significant setback for a team trying to climb back to .500, but manager John Schneider expressed optimism that the absence can be relatively short.
“Mild being the key word,” Schneider said. “Hopefully it’s not too long. We’re encouraged by how he felt.”
Cease was disappointed to hit the injured list but “smart about it,” according to Schneider. Instead of pushing through something and making it worse, the 30-year-old took the short-term hit in the hopes that it pays off later.
But even if this is the right move, losing a pitcher with a 3.05 ERA and more strikeouts than anyone in the American League poses a significant challenge for the Blue Jays’ pitching staff. At minimum, they’ll have to cover Cease’s spot twice – and keep in mind, they’re already running a bullpen game built around Spencer Miles once every five days.
That means whoever replaces Cease needs to be able to cover some innings. One bullpen game every five days can work. Two?
“That would be tough,” Schneider said. “What we’re looking for is a traditional starter or someone who can provide some significant length. We’re talking at least 70 pitches. It’d be tough to run those games two out of three games, really, so we’re looking for someone to do some heavy lifting.”
Ideally, the Blue Jays would have an obvious promotion candidate pushing up from triple-A, but that’s not presently the case as Bieber just started his rehab assignment, Scherzer’s not slated to face live hitters until Wednesday and Jake Bloss has another rehab outing tentatively scheduled with Class A Dunedin.
That leaves Cease’s spot open ahead of Friday’s game in Baltimore.
“We’ll see,” Schneider said. “We’ve got a few (options) down in Buffalo … we’ll figure it out.”
For the immediate term, the Blue Jays added right-handed reliever Tanner Andrews to the roster, filling the final spot on their 40-man. But by Friday, another move will be required to add some bulk innings to the staff.
So, what options do they have? Here’s a closer look at their triple-A rotation:
RHP Austin Voth
Age: 33
MLB experience: parts of eight seasons, including one relief appearance for the 2026 Blue Jays
On 40-man: No
2026 triple-A stats: 2.90 ERA, 31 innings, 5 HR, 9 BB, 23 Ks
LHP Josh Fleming
Age: 30
MLB experience: parts of six seasons, including one relief appearance for the 2026 Blue Jays
On 40-man: No
2026 triple-A stats: 2.34 ERA, 34.2 innings, 2 HR, 8 BB, 24 Ks
RHP CJ Van Eyk
Age: 27
MLB experience: none
On 40-man: No
2026 triple-A stats: 3.53 ERA, 43.1 innings, 2 HR, 17 BB, 33 Ks
RHP Chad Dallas
Age: 25
MLB experience: none
On 40-man: No
2026 triple-A stats: 4.50 ERA, 32 innings, 1 HR, 12 BB, 34 Ks
RHP Grant Rogers
Age: 25
MLB experience: none
On 40-man: No
2026 triple-A stats: 6.23 ERA, 43.1 innings, 7 HR, 14 BB, 24 Ks
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Based on performance, it’s not likely Rogers. Since Dallas is still working his way back from September 2024 Tommy John surgery, the Blue Jays may prefer not to rush him.
And there’s also the matter of who the Blue Jays are playing this weekend. Baltimore hits right-handed pitching well (105 wRC+) while struggling against lefties (89 wRC+). Under those circumstances, Fleming may have a slight edge over someone like Voth or Van Eyk.
With five days’ notice, it’s also possible the Blue Jays look outside of the organization and attempt a trade. Of course, that’s difficult this time of year unless they’re acquiring a recently designated player the way the Dodgers picked up Eric Lauer earlier this month.
None of the options seem ideal, forcing the Blue Jays to adapt on the fly and trust that their organizational depth will be up to the challenge.
“The game doesn’t wait around for you,” Schneider said. “You’ve got to figure it out.”
