Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider provided some updates on the schedules of a few of the team’s pitchers going forward, including some more clarity on how they intend to deploy recent call-up Yariel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, 27, is now on the taxi squad and the club plans to add him to the 26-man roster on Saturday in time for an outing against the Colorado Rockies.
Manager John Schneider said Rodriguez willl be activated in a length role this weekend, depending on what happens in Friday’s series opener.
Schneider added that the club wants Rodriguez to pitch close to a regular schedule, possibly piggybacking with a starter.
Bowden Francis is still the scheduled starter for Saturday’s outing, but some different scenarios could be in play. Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling added that Francis was told to be ready to pitch, but not necessarily start. Rodriguez is an option for length in that outing.
In two starts with triple-A Buffalo this season, the Cuban righty has yet to give up a run in 6.1 innings and has only surrendered one hit. He has 10 strikeouts in that time.
Down in Buffalo, Alek Manoah is getting ready to take the mound for the Bisons against the Rochester Red Wings in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
According to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the plan is for Manoah to go five innings or 75 pitches, and will then be followed by rehabbing relievers Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano.
Manoah struggled in his first minor league outing of the season, allowing six runs over 1.2 innings while walking four batters and allowing five hits for class-A Dunedin.
Despite the poor results, Manoah said he “felt really good.”
The 26-year-old is working his way back from shoulder soreness and inflammation suffered during spring training. He started the season on the 15-day injured list.
The two relievers slated to follow Manoah, Swanson and Romano, will be appearing in their second rehab game in triple-A.
Swanson, who has been dealing with forearm tightness since mid-March, faced four batters, giving up a run on a pair of singles and incuded a pair of groundouts on Thursday against the Red Wings.
Romano, who has been sidelined with elbow inflammation, appearead in the same game, but only managed one out after allowing a single and walking two batters.
There is no new timetable for when the two relievers will make their way back up to the major league ballclub.
Meanwhile, catching for Manoah on Saturday will be Danny Jansen, who has been looking solid at the plate as he rehabs a wrist fracture suffered in the spring.
This will be his third start with the Bisons and his second behind the plate. He is currently batting .429 with a home run and six RBIs in seven at-bats. He hit a grand slam in Wednesday’s game against the Red Wings.
According to Schneider, if all goes well, Jansen could make his return to the Blue Jays as soon as Monday against the New York Yankees.