Blue Jays starter Matt Shoemaker suffers torn ACL

Matt Shoemaker will now miss the entirety of the 2019 season with a torn ACL. The injury was suffered Saturday afternoon in Oakland.

In a piece of absolutely gut-wrenching news, Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker has torn his ACL, MRI results indicate. Hazel Mae and Ben Nicholson-Smith, both of Sportsnet, were the first to break the news.

Earlier today, the Blue Jays announced that Shoemaker had been placed on the 10-day injured list, and infielder Richard Urena had been called up to take his spot.

Mae also tweeted that Shoemaker “could not contain his emotions” and fought “through tears” after speaking to reporters when he found out the results.

Shoemaker, 32, signed with the Jays on a one-year deal earlier this offseason and had been one of the team’s most pleasant surprises in the early going.

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In five starts prior to his injury, the Wyandotte, Michigan native had pitched to an ERA of 1.57 in 28.2 innings, striking out 24 and earning three wins.

He is currently tied for second in the American League in wins, second in ERA, 25th in strikeouts, 14th in innings pitched, and third in WHIP.

Prior to coming to Toronto, Shoemaker had spent parts of six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, appearing in 101 games and carrying a 3.93 ERA through 93 starts.

At this point, the club has yet to confirm the injury, nor have they announced any decision or roster move based on this new development.

Shoemaker spoke frequently in the spring about how he felt healthy for the first time in several years; he spent the majority of his Angels career dealing with various injuries.

Also in Sunday’s game, starter Aaron Sanchez left the game with a broken fingernail. Assuming Sanchez misses at least a start, the Blue Jays will have to find two arms capable of starting games.