Blue Jays not ready to shut the door on three injured starters just yet

The Toronto Blue Jays' rotation has been a revolving door all season. From Cody Ponce getting injured in the first week of the season to Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber having late starts, to José Berrios not throwing a single pitch. Toronto has not had the starting five it had envisioned after all their offseason signings. And yet, it's arguably been one of the most consistent parts of the roster all year, even with the many faces moving in and out.

It looked like things were finally coming together in the days after the trade deadline. While the Blue Jays had dealt former staff ace, Kevin Gausman, to the Chicago Cubs, they traded for Jameson Taillon, José Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti in separate deals. They were also getting improved performances out of Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer.

In fact, for the first time all season it finally felt like the Blue Jays might have too much starting pitching. On Aug. 4, Blue Jays' manager John Schneider told reporters that they would shift to a temporary six-man rotation. Spoiler alert, it didn't last very long.

Trey Yesavage was injured that very night with the Blue Jays playing in Houston against the Astros. The 23-year-old appeared to injure his left knee while warming up before the bottom of the third.

Arrighetti was already rehabbing from a foot injury when the Blue Jays acquired him. During his first rehab stint in Toronto's system, he appeared to reaggravate that injury. He was pulled after 2.1 innings while pitching for Triple-A Buffalo.

Taillon was making his first start at home for the Blue Jays on Aug. 10 against the Boston Red Sox and after four very good innings where he was cruising he was removed from the game with right forearm discomfort.

In the aftermath of these injuries, each of these players have received a diagnosis and treatment for their various maladies. Taillon has hit the 15-day IL with right forearm tendinitis. Arrighetti was diagnosed Morton’s neuroma, a condition related to nerve pain in the foot. Yesavage underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee and is also on the 15-day IL. But the Blue Jays are miraculously not ruling out a return for any of these pitchers this season.

Schneider said that Yesavage is going to be mointored on a week-to-week basis. The 23-year-old has posted a 3.65 ERA over 18 starts and could play a familiar role to what he did last year when he was called up in September and gave the Blue Jays significant innings during the stretch run and into the postseason.

The Blue Jays' manager also said that Taillon will rest for a few days before attempting to resume throwing. Any forearm issue is naturally a cause for concern, especially for a pitcher with Taillon’s injury history. However, the Blue Jays received some positive news when an MRI revealed no structural damage.

Schneider also said the club is hoping that Arrighetti can pitch through his diagnosis while receiving treatment. Though there is no firm timeline for his return, if he can pitch without any further set backs, there is no reason the 26-year-old can't find his way back to the big leagues before the year is out. He posted a 4.60 ERA in 17 starts with the Astros before the trade.

Just one of these pitchers returning would be a huge lift for the Blue Jays at this stage

The Blue Jays don't need all of them back at once, but getting just one of them slotted back into the rotation would be a huge boost for a rotation that has had dealt with enough setbacks already this season. They are currently down to four starters again, though players like Spencer Miles and Simeone Woods Richardson could be tabbed to make an emergency start or two.

Though that would create a trickle down problem with Toronto's bullpen also running on fumes at the moment. They've covered 46.1 innings in the last ten days (going into Thursday's game, Aug. 13), which is the most in the majors. They are adding Paul Sewald to that mix, after picking him up off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier in the week, but he is not expected to be activate until Friday.

The timing of these injuries is unfortunate as well. The Blue Jays are finally playing the kind of baseball most people expected them to play this season, but it won't be sustainable unless they get a couple of bodies back sooner than later.

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