A spot opens in the Blue Jays bullpen as key reliever won’t be ready for Opening Day

The Toronto Blue Jays are already dealing with injuries, though the Blue Jays front office likely expected the latest news about Yimi García. The reliever missed the second half of last season due to multiple injuries, but an elbow injury that required surgery officially shut his season down in September. The Blue Jays will ease their 35-year-old setup man back into form, guaranteeing that García will not be ready to pitch on Opening Day.

He expects to start throwing off a mound shortly, but it hasn’t been decided if the reliever will begin the season on the 15-day injury list or not. García is quite familiar with the injury list over his 11-year career.

The last two seasons alone, he spent time on the injury list with elbow inflammation and neuritis in 2024, and the following season, the 35-year-old missed time with three different injuries: a shoulder impingement, sprained ankle, and then nerve symptoms and scar tissue in his right elbow.

When García was healthy, he was a reliable weapon in the back of the bullpen to get games to the ninth inning. It's a major blow to the defending American League Champions. However, García hopefully only misses March and April at the most. With his absence, the Blue Jays need to fill a vital role.

Who replaces Yimi García in the Blue Jays’ bullpen?

To fill the eighth-inning set-up role, it'll be an easy choice: Tyler Rogers. Rogers would likely have had opportunities to hold games in the seventh or eighth inning even with García healthy. Rogers has a deceiving submarine arm slot release point that is only 1.33 feet off the ground, the lowest in MLB. The deception has helped the former San Francisco Giants and New York Mets pitcher convert 154 of 168 hold opportunities over his seven-year career.

He's also posted a 1.98 ERA last season, with a 0.94 WHIP, and a 38:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Inconsistency in the back-end of the bullpen was an issue last season, so Rogers was a massive acquisition for the team during the offseason. The more difficult question is who fills García's spot in the bullpen.

Spencer Miles and Angel Bastardo are Rule 5 picks by the Blue Jays this offseason, which means they need to be on the 26-man roster all season or be returned to their previous teams. Both prospects won't make the Opening Day, and it seemed a longshot with the Blue Jays' bullpen depth that one of these prospects would break camp with the Blue Jays. However, with an open spot in the bullpen, Miles's and Bastardo's chances of being a Blue Jays player just increased.

Their performances in Spring Training just intensified, though out of the two, I’d say Miles has the edge. He's thrown only 14.2 innings since being drafted in 2022 due to multiple injuries, including needing Tommy John Surgery after throwing seven innings in 2024. The 25-year-old returned last season in the Arizona Fall League, where he struck out 12 batters in 8.2 innings.

Another name to replace García could be Mason Fluharty, a familiar name to Blue Jays fans last season. He is a left-handed pitcher, which the Blue Jays needed last season, with Brendon Little the only lefty available in the bullpen. The Blue Jays needed Eric Lauer to help the starting rotation, which was decimated by injuries. However, Fluharty struggled in his rookie debut, posting a 4.44 ERA and a 56:24 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 52.2 innings.

They could also be a surprise name who shines in Spring Training and nab García's bullpen spot. If I were in Manager John Schneider's shoes, I'd give the newly acquired Chase Lee an opportunity. He came over in a trade with the Detroit Tigers after they needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for newly signed Kyle Finnegan. Lee has MLB experience, throwing 37.1 innings last season, but posted a 4.10 ERA.

The sidearm reliever has options remaining, so he could be sent down to Triple-A when García returns. Fluharty also has options remaining, making Schneider decide between needing a righty or a lefty in the bullpen. Either of these makes more sense over Miles.

Unless another injury occurs, Miles won't be on the Blue Jays roster all season. Which means he'd need to be returned to the San Francisco Giants. So why give a guy MLB experience if he isn't part of your team's long-term plans? Fans need to keep a close eye on how the Blue Jays' bullpen plays out over Spring Training.