Blue Jays: Ryan Borucki shelved after experiencing tightness in elbow

According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, the Toronto Blue Jays are shutting down Ryan Borucki after the hurler experienced tightness in his elbow.

Blue Jays pitcher Ryan Borucki can’t seem to catch a break of late, the 25-year old missed the majority of the 2019 campaign with elbow issues and now his status is uncertain heading into spring training.

Borucki was shut down for precautionary measures after feeling something wasn’t right a few weeks earlier. The hurler underwent an MRI, however, it did not reveal any structural damage. The southpaw made only two appearances in 2019 totaling 6.2 innings before his season was compromised due to injury.

This latest setback may take Bourucki out of the running for the fifth and final spot in the rotation. Borucki along with Trent Thornton and Shun Yamaguchi was slated to battle it out in Grapefruit League action.

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Borucki impressed in his rookie season in 2018 going 4-6 with a 3.87 earned run average while fanning 6.2 hitters per nine innings while accumulating a 1.7 WAR in 17 starts. His 2019 campaign was railroaded before it even began, however, Borucki was hopeful of putting the injury-riddled season behind him after a productive offseason.

The Jays have Hyun-Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark, Matt Shoemaker, and Chase Anderson slotted in the first four rotation spots. If healthy, Borucki was a good candidate to round out the rotation with Thornton remaining stretched out in Buffalo and Yamaguchi moving to the pen.

The Blue Jays are much deeper in starting pitching after a successful offseason of additions but Borucki is still an important piece the Jays need productivity from. Skipper Charlie Montoyo utilized 21 different starters in 2019 including the likes of some not so household names and fringe major leaguers at best.

We will have a better timeline on his prognosis following a 10-day shutdown period where the hurler will rest the elbow. Hopefully, this is just normal wear and tear after missing most of the season and he is able to put the elbow issues behind and get back to his 2018 form.