Blue Jays news: Rotation reshuffled with stars returning, Kirk and Yimi rehab updates

The Toronto Blue Jays didn't have a starter named for Tuesday and Wednesday (Jun. 9 & 10) for their games against the Philadelphia Phillies. They entered the series on a two game winning streak, and gave the ball to Patrick Corbin in the opener, looking to make it three in a row - but without a publicly announced plan for the rest of the series, until now.

Toronto announced that two returning starters will get the ball for those games as Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer will be back from their stints on the injured list. Cease will start on Tuesday and Scherzer goes on Wednesday in the finale.

The 30-year-old Cease went on the Injured List on May 25 to deal with a hamstring issue. He only needed to make one rehab start before the Blue Jays felt he was ready to rejoin them. Cease is 3-3 this year with a 3.05 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched.

The 41-year-old Scherzer on the other hand has been out since the end of April. He was dealing with a mix of forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation. He had been much less effective than Cease this season. He was 1-3 with a 9.64 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched.

This pair of veterans represents the entire spectrum of success and the lack thereof for the Blue Jays this year. Cease was brought in to be a front of the line starter when he signed with Toronto in the offseason and he's been all of that and more for the majority of his outings. Scherzer was brought aboard late in the offseason, with the idea that he would fill a depth role, but unfortunately he was one of several Blue Jays who found their way into the infirmary parade in the early part of the season.

Regardless, this gives the Blue Jays a full five-man rotation for the first time since the early portion of the season. Since then, the Blue Jays have used a combination of openers and spot starters to fill the void at the back end, and more recently have needed to use two bullpen days over the course of a five-game stretch just to get through the innings.

With Cease and Scherzer returning that allows the Blue Jays to move Trey Yesavage back to Friday and give him the ball in the opener of their series against the New York Yankees. That also means that Spencer Miles will head back to the bullpen after being used as a starter the last few times out.

It's not just the rotation that is getting healthier as Yimi Garcia could give the bullpen a huge boost relatively soon. Garcia just threw his second rehab outing with Single-A Dunedin. He threw 17 pitches with 11 strikes. He allowed one hit, while striking out a batter in one full inning of work. His fastball sat at 95 mph, but peaked at 96.3. He's expected to head to Buffalo to get in a rehab outing, or two, with the Bisons in Triple-A beginning on Wednesday.

Last, but certainly not least, when Yesavage takes the mound against the Yankees on Friday, he could have a familiar battery mate behind the plate. Manager John Schneider told reporters that Alejandro Kirk could be back with Toronto on that day. Kirk has been out with a fractured and dislocated left thumb since Apr. 4 that he sustained off a foul tip.

That means there is a big decision looming for Toronto's big league roster. The smart money would be on keeping rookie Brandon Valenzuela up in Toronto as he's been one of the best hitters in the Blue Jays' lineup over the last month. However, the Blue Jays value catching depth and wouldn't want to lose their veteran catcher, Tyler Heineman, to waivers for nothing.

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