Blue Jays recall Felix Doubront and Ryan Tepera

The Toronto Blue Jays have recalled Felix Doubront from AAA Buffalo, and manager John Gibbons says that the left-hander may start in Matt Boyd‘s slot on July 7th against the Chicago White Sox. Sportsnet’s Mike Wilner reported the first move, which was announced by Gibbons on his weekly MLB Network Radio appearance.


Ryan Tepera will be joining Doubront on the trip to Chicago, but it’s unclear how long his stay will be. He has pitched well enough for the Blue Jays in 2015, posting a 2.77 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, but Toronto’s bullpen blowout on Thursday could cause the 7th reliever to yo-yo over the next week.

Miguel Castro may be the best bullpen option in the system right now and has exploded back onto the scene in Dunedin, but it may be a little early in his return from injury.

Doubront, who is still just 27 years old, has been fantastic through nine starts with the Buffalo Bisons with a 2.44 ERA. He most recently pitched in the MLB with the Chicago Cubs in 2014, posting a 3.98 ERA across four starts. Doubront has run into troubles with control throughout his career, but has also shown the ability to miss bats when he needs to.

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His fastball dropped to 89.8 MPH in 2014 compared to 92.8 MPH in 2012 according to FanGraphs, and Doubront will mix in a changeup and curveball on approximately one quarter of his pitches. Despite the strong performance put forth by Doubront, he may be the “starter by default” if does get the nod in Chicago.

Daniel Norris appeared to have the inside line for the job, with general manager Alex Anthopoulos travelling to Buffalo to watch his most recent start, but the Blue Jays top prospect was only able to manage one strikeout over seven innings.

The Blue Jays seem intent on leaving Norris at AAA until he’s ready to impact the big league club at 100%, and frankly, he has yet to fully click. With the All Star Break approaching and the return date of Aaron Sanchez uncertain, the door will likely remain open for Norris should he turn the corner.

In the short-term, all eyes will be on Drew Hutchison, who receives the start in the series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Hutchison has not recorded 6.0 innings pitched since June 6th largely due to inflated pitch counts, but the Blue Jays will need a deep outing to allow for a collective exhale in the bullpen.

Next: Blue Jays should see link between Matt Boyd, Sean Nolin

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