Blue Jays continue to have players marching to the injured list as another reliever hits the IL

The tumultuous 2026 season for the Toronto Blue Jays has already been well summarized for their onslaught of injury woes. Earlier this week reliever Tommy Nance was placed on the IL due to right forearm discomfort.

Unfortunately, that march to the injured list for the Blue Jays unfathomably continued this week with their latest casualty being their solid offseason depth signing in reliever Joe Mantiply. On Tuesday, Mantiply was placed on the 15-day IL with left knee inflammation, according to Sportsnet. In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays called up their offseason trade acquisition from the Detroit Tigers, Chase Lee, to take his place in the Toronto bullpen.

Joe Mantiply has impressed during his tenure with Toronto before the ill-timed injury

The addition of Mantiply had certainly been a smart move by Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins. In what began as just a minor league deal with an invite to training camp, the 35-year-old veteran reliever has made the most of his opportunity in working his way back into the major leagues. With Brendon Little faltering early on for the Blue Jays, his eventual demotion to the minors paved the way for Mantiply to make his debut with Toronto in early April and hasn’t looked back ever since.

In 17 relief appearances to date with Toronto, he has compiled a 1-0 record, a 2.04 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, with 16 strikeouts in 17.2 total innings of work. With that performance, he has shown exactly why he was a former All-Star during his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In effect, Mantiply had formed a steady one-two punch with reliever Mason Fluharty as the top lefties coming out of the Jays bullpen this season. But now with the 35-year-old left-hander likely to miss at least two weeks of action, Toronto is left scrambling again to help fill their pitching void. Although Canadian lefty Adam Macko looked great in his MLB debut against the New York Yankees earlier this week.

In the latest call-up, the Blue Jays turned to Chase Lee, who had been having a strong campaign with their Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons this season. Lee had amassed an impressive 1.83 ERA, along with 21 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched over 15 appearances with the Bisons. The 27-year-old right-hander saw action with the Blue Jays earlier in the year when he pitched 1.1 innings against the Boston Red Sox on April 27 before he was sent back down due to roster management. Lee will hope that he can get an extended look this time around as he aims to be a significant contributor as part of the Blue Jays relief corps while Mantiply is on the sidelines.

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