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Blue Jays: Recapping what’s gone wrong in the bullpen this season

By Chris Henderson

TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 07: Adam Cimber #90 of the Toronto Blue Jays is pulled from the mound by Charlie Montoyo #25 in the eight inning of Game Two of the doubleheader MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on August 7, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 07: Adam Cimber #90 of the Toronto Blue Jays is pulled from the mound by Charlie Montoyo #25 in the eight inning of Game Two of the doubleheader MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on August 7, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /
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Apr 25, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher David Phelps (35) throws a pitch in the seventh inning in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

A staggering amount of injuries

I’m not here to make excuses for the Blue Jays when it comes to their leaky bullpen, but it’s hard not to dream about what could have been.

Injuries have taken their toll on this group, which has hurt them throughout the year and is still keeping them from assembling their best at the moment. It’s resulted in a pretty big revolving door in the bullpen, and I’m sure it’s added many extra hours to pitching coach Pete Walker’s workload.

Just look at the lost list of injuries that they’ve had to navigate.

Out for the season

  • Kirby Yates
  • David Phelps
  • Carl Edwards Jr.

Basically out for the season (and still might be)

  • Julian Merryweather
  • Nate Pearson
  • A.J. Cole
  • Anthony Castro

Missed significant time:

  • Tim Mayza
  • Ryan Borucki
  • Thomas Hatch
  • Rafael Dolis
  • Tyler Chatwood
  • Joakim Soria (*one appearance after being acquired)
  • Ross Stripling (currently on the IL)

Every big league team is going to go through their injury issues, so it’s not at excuse that stands up very well. That said, given just how much of a weakness the bullpen has been for the Blue Jays this season, we have to acknowledge that it’s been a major factor. I didn’t even list others like Jordan Romano, who has been healthy for the vast majority of the season, so this is far from a complete list of injuries.

It’s not a huge surprise that MLB pitchers have struggled to stay healthy in 2021 after having just a 60-game season in 2020 in the early stages of the pandemic. With that in mind I think it’s fair to ask if the Blue Jays acquired enough depth throughout the year to address the problem. There were points when we screamed for trades to happen in June and early July, but for the most part there should have been enough talent to produce better results than we’ve seen.

I would have loved to have seen how the Blue Jays could have finished with the likes of Yates, Phelps, Merryweather, and more in the bullpen, but I guess we’ll never know.

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