Blue Jays: Looming roster decisions when Hyun Jin Ryu returns

Ryan Borucki

Not even a month and a half into the season and Ryan Borucki has already been on the IL twice. He started the year on the IL and missed Opening Day and only recently returned after a blister issue saw him on the shelf once again after only two appearances from his first stint.

The former starter turned reliever has experienced his fair share of struggles over the past couple of seasons, whether it be performance or injury, and the 2022 campaign has been a mixed bag for Borucki on the mound. Through three outings and 2.1 innings, Borucki has allowed two earned runs and three walks compared to two strikeouts. His first two outings of the year were clean, although he did walk two batters against Boston before allowing the two earned runs against Cleveland in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday.

The sample size is small, which makes this decision hard to judge compared to someone like Thornton. Borucki is also out of minor league options and would need to be DFA’d and I would think another rebuilding team would take a chance on the left-hander should he be put on waivers. He is also one of the two left-handers in the relief corps besides Tim Mayza, and with internal southpaw options like Andrew Vasquez and Tayler Saucedo (currently on the IL) not fairing well early, it would be a tough call to remove Borucki from the roster in exchange for Ryu without seeing more.

Conclusion

If I had to guess, I would think that Thornton will most likely be sent down to AAA barring an absolute implosion of Borucki if he is used in the upcoming two-game New York Yankees series. I don’t think the Jays brass is ready to move on from the left-hander and with Thornton still having options at his disposal, the decision becomes more clear.