Blue Jays: Looking for the silver linings in Kirby Yates’ injury

The Blue Jays got some bad news with Kirby Yates hitting the injured list to open the season, but there are always silver linings to be found.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to pretend that losing an All-Star calibre closer before the season has even started is a good thing, but it might not be all bad.

First and foremost, the Blue Jays will be able to get another look at their late inning arms in the 9th inning, and I’m sure that’s something they were prepared for. The idea of signing Yates has a ton of upside, but the season they were able to ink him for one year and 5.5 million was because of his recent injury issues. Fortunately they have a pair of options in Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis who should be more than capable of covering closing duties while Yates is out.

In my mind the Blue Jays should give Romano the first chance to win the job, and I ultimately believe that he’s the future of the 9th inning in Toronto. Yates is signed to just the one year, and Dolis’ contract expires at the end of this season. On top of that, Romano has the stuff and the temperament to really thrive in high pressure situations. He’s an easy fan favourite, and as long as he’s healthy I think it’s even possible he could make it tough to give Yates his job back when he does return. As for Dolis, he’s a steady presence that’s shown he can handle the 9th inning comfortably as well.

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If we’re looking for other benefits to Yates’ injury, it could give the Jays a longer look at a couple of veteran bullpen options. In particular, there may now be a roster spot for one or both of Francisco Liriano or A.J. Cole.  There could be a better opportunity for someone like Tommy Milone as well, as all three veterans are in camp on MiLB deals. Or maybe it’s the opportunity that Tim Mayza needed to return to the big leagues after spending more than a year recovering from Tommy John surgery. All four pitchers could be in the mix to make the team anyway, but Yates’ injury could make it easier for the Blue Jays to keep one more arm around that they like.

The obvious downside is that Charlie Montoyo will be missing an important weapon from the bullpen corps, and having to move guys like Romano and Dolis to another role means that it’s that much more important for others like Tyler Chatwood, David Phelps, and Ryan Borucki to perform and stay healthy. The Blue Jays do have some depth that they can utilize even if they do sustain more injuries, but it’s not the place you want to start a fresh 162 game campaign.

It hasn’t been a great spring as far as injuries go with Yates joining Nate Pearson and Thomas Hatch on the sidelines, but fortunately none of the right-handers look like they’ll be out for the long-term. With a powerful offence and some suitable depth in place, hopefully the Blue Jays can weather the storm until they can get a fully healthy roster on the field.